Arelle: Saga II
by Amai no Tenshi
Summary: The second part of the Arelle series. Arelle continues her magic training under Moren, but now new strangers from Akinen's past arrive, with dangerous intentions...
1. Chapter 1: The Cutthroats

Author's Notes: Yay! It's Saga II now! I hope y'all enjoy this ^^ Thanks again to all my reviewers! Oh, and btw, sorry for all the late updates recently . I;m just so busy, it's really hard to get Arelle done in time these days. *sigh*. Well anyway, enjoy!

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IMPORTANT: Before you read this fanfic, you should know that this is the second part of a Fantasy/Action/Adventure book series by Kendra Kassidy, aka Amai. I highly suggest that you read the first part of this series, Arelle: Saga I, first, before reading this one. To read Arelle: Saga I, click on the author: Amai no Tenshi above this fanfic. You should see a list of all the things I've written with a Bio about me, and at this screen, choose the fanfic called Arelle: Saga I.

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Arelle watched her breath make puffs of fog in the cold, crisp, winter air.

"What do you think?" the Elf beside her said.

Arelle glanced at him quickly. "What do we think about what, Moren?" she asked.

"The wolves," Moren said. Arelle drew her attention back to the small pack of wolves in front of her. They were currently busy devouring a rabbit, and took no notice of the three elves that were quietly watching them from the bushes.

"What about the wolves, lad?" the third, eldest Elf, Akinen, asked.

Moren glanced at him and smiled.

Arelle felt her stomach churn. "If you're thinking about eating them, then think again Moren!" Arelle said commandingly. Moren gave her a pouting look.

"No, no, no! Absolutely not." Arelle continued. "You know how Lilliah feels about wolves. And don't think that that face is going to work on me, Moren!"

Moren sighed. "But Areeelle! I'm huuungry!" Moren complained.

Arelle rolled her eyes. "You know very well that Lilliah would never eat a wolf!"

"Arelle, _Lilliah_ wouldn't have to eat the wolves! _We _could eat the wolves!" Moren said, as if the answer was so simple.

Arelle rolled her eyes. "You know Lilliah wouldn't like it, Moren."

"I agree with Arelle, lad. You know it'd hurt Lilliah if we ate wolves in front of her. It just wouldn't be right," Akinen said.

"But the water is frozen, so fish are off the menu, and we have to catch at least a few rabbits for each meal, whereas a wolf would last us for at least _two_ meals!" Moren exclaimed.

Arelle just rolled her eyes. "Then I suppose we should hurry up and get to work on finding some more rabbits!" Arelle said turning to leave. Akinen and Moren followed her, Moren still grumbling quietly.

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Arelle smiled as she looked around the campfire that night, eating roasted rabbit. It had been a little over a year since she had lost control of her magic, causing her to have to run away from home. After running away from home, she met Moren, a half Wood Elf/half High Elf Cleric, who, at Arelle's request, began teaching Arelle magic. Arelle and Moren hoped that if Arelle learned more about magic, she could learn how to control it, too. Arelle was learning more and more magic, and she barely ever lost her control over it these days, but Moren said that when she lost her temper, he could still feel the negative energy disrupting the peaceful flow. At least things didn't burst into flame when she got angry anymore. But then again, since she had begun living in the forest with her new companions, she really had never felt the anger she felt in Felwithe, her hometown.

A while after beginning her training with Moren, suddenly her long lost, disgraced Cutthroat uncle showed up. Arelle was less then happy at first, seeing how he had forever disgraced their family when he joined the Cutthroats, but, due to Lilliah's prodding, Arelle was beginning to forgive him. As for Lilliah, she's a Shaman Barbarian from Halas. What's she doing in Greater Faydark? Well, it turns out she knew Akinen a long time ago, and showed up just a few months ago, looking for him. She finally admitted she loved him just a few weeks ago, but so far he hasn't made any response to that.

And now, here Arelle sat, watching her new companions as they ate. Arelle smiled happily, thinking of how nice it was to be part of a group for once. This was where she really belonged.

"What's the matter?" Moren asked Arelle, seeing that she had stopped eating and was just looking around the fire.

"Nothing's the matter, Moren. Everything is as it should be," Arelle said, happily.

Moren cocked an eyebrow at her. "Err…huh?"

Arelle laughed. "Never mind," she said, taking a bite of her roasted rabbit.

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A week later…

Arelle hummed happily as she sharpened her sword. Lilliah was away picking greens to eat for supper, while Moren and Akinen were cleaning some rabbits for supper that night. Moren had said as soon as he and Akinen cleaned those rabbits, he and Arelle could start their daily magic lessons. Arelle smiled as she held the sword up to the sun and saw it gleaming in the sun's brightness. She lowered it to waist level, and then began practicing stances.

Since Moren had begun teaching her magic, he also taught her others things—like how to survive in the wild. Before meeting Moren, Arelle couldn't even wield a sword. Now Arelle was somewhat skilled in both sword and bow. She liked learning to use weapons, but she couldn't help but chuckle, thinking of how her father would react if he saw her wielding a sword.

Suddenly, she stopped, lowering her sword. She listened carefully. Something was wrong. There was a foul odor in the air.

"Hello there, little girl," she heard a hoarse voice say. She jerked around to face the source of the voice and saw two beings, a Dark Elf and a Barbarian, emerging from the bushes. Both of them were clothed in dirty rags, and their eyes held a dangerous glint to them.

"We was just passin' by here when my friend here saw smoke from a fire. Naturally, we was curious, so we came over here to investigate!" the Barbarian said. "And who woulda guessed that, out here, alone in this forest, was a young High-Elf girl!" he said, taking a step closer.

Arelle twitched slightly and rose her sword in a fighting stance. "If you come here seeking trouble, I suggest you leave," Arelle said sternly.

The Barbarian glanced at the Dark Elf, and after a nod from the Dark Elf, the Barbarian stepped out towards Arelle again. "Really, ya know, ya should just give up now, before we havfta hurt ya. If ya surrender now, we promise we'll give ya a quick death. Yer really not worth spendin much time on, ya know, seeing how ya have barely anythin here," he said, motioning around the camp. "But then again, that there is a pretty nice lookin sword ya have there. Why don't ya drop it there on the ground, and I'll come pick it up later. If yer especially cooperative, we might even consider lettin ya go!" the Barbarian said.

"You like this sword, huh? If you don't leave now, I assure you this sword will be your death. I don't want to fight you. I would never choose to spill blood, " Arelle said.

The Dark Elf stepped out now, and his hoarse voice made shivers run up and down Arelle's spine, though she didn't show her fear to them. "Ah, big words from such a little girl! Do you really think you stand a chance against us, little girl? We've spilled more blood than you'd ever dream of. You think we're scared of you? A little High-Elf with a sword. You're pathetic," the Dark Elf hissed.

Arelle stared at he Dark Elf, still ready to strike a blow.

The Dark Elf continued. "Why are you out here in the first place, little girl? Parents leave you here? Your people cast you out? You're an outcast with no family, no home? No body wanted you?" the Dark Elf smiled as he saw Arelle's eyes narrow. "That's it, isn't it?" he sighed. "Such a shame when that happens. An unwanted child. I bet it really hurts inside, doesn't it?" the Dark Elf said.

"I have nothing to say to you. Get out now!" Arelle said, trying her best to control her anger.

"It does hurt, doesn't it? I bet it's hard to live with yourself when—"

"I said get OUT you filth of Norrath!" Arelle said, snarling at him. He only smiled and stepped closer, but as he did, suddenly his arm caught aflame. Completely taken off-guard, he screeched in pain, a screech that made Arelle's blood run cold. She jumped back in surprise from the Dark Elf, who was now lit up like a torch.

Arelle watched in shock as the smaller creature rolled in the dirt attempting to put the flames out that were now consuming most of his body, while his partner the Barbarian attempted to help put the flames out the best he could. In other circumstances, Arelle might have laughed at the odd display, but she was too confused to laugh at the moment. Then it struck her—it was her old habit, coming back. She must have been really mad to make him light up like that. This was the first time, however, that she was actually glad of her ability, and she silently smirked to herself. But all the mirth left her face as she saw the Dark Elf get back up, his face twisted with rage and hatred. Arelle lost all composure and gasped, her sword slipping from her hand to the ground. He took a step towards her, and Arelle screamed, looking into his charcoal black eyes.

v"Arelle! What is it, lass!?" came Akinen's voice from the trees nearby. When he and Moren came through the trees Akinen gasped at the sight of the Barbarian and Dark Elf, and they gasped seeing him, as well.

"_Respitas_?!" Akinen exclaimed.

"_Aka_?" the Dark Elf replied, wide-eyed.

"What in all Norrath are ye doing _here_?!" Akinen said, astonished.

"What about you?! I thought that you had left this plane for the after life, and yet here you are before me!" the Dark Elf, Respitas exclaimed.

Moren rushed to Arelle's side. Akinen replied, "No, I haven't left this realm yet. This is my…err… temporary home," Akinen said.

Respitas looked at Akinen in the eye. "Aka…have you betrayed us?"

Akinen paused in silence. "Err…Not betrayed…I was just taking a small break," Akinen said.

Respitas looked at him curiously. "Aka…Why didn't you come back to the main base? If you asked for it, I'm sure they'd let you have some time off to rest. Why didn't you meet up with the rest of the survivors of the Fewithien guards' attack?"

"I was wounded. I had to heal. If I went on, I would've died," Akinen said.

"You don't look wounded _now_…" Respitas said.

"No, I've healed up now. But, like I said, I wanted some time off," Akinen said.

"But you should have reported back to the main base as soon as possible!" Respitas said.

Aka said nothing. Respitas turned his attention to Arelle, standing beside Moren.

"And what of this girl? And boy? Who're _they_?"

"They just live here… Or, I live with them…" Akinen said, trying to find how to phrase it.

"Then, they're your servants?" Respitas asked.

"Err, no…" Aka replied nervously.

"No? Then what are they?"

Akinen paused. "Companions."

Respitas snarled at Akinen. "Companions? Since when did Aka the Scarlet Cutthroat befriend simple peasants? Why did you not kill them and take their tent and treasures, if you needed a place to stay? I don't understand."

"Ye know I don't kill unless I have a reason, Respitas," Akinen said.

Respitas raised his sword to Arelle's neck. Moren began to draw his sword, but stopped when he saw Respitas's sword putting pressure on Arelle neck. "Well, Aka, I _do _kill without reason. And I want to kill this girl. I hate her," Respitas said.

"No! Stop that, Respitas," Akinen said.

Respitas cocked his head to the side to look at Akinen, his blade still to Arelle's throat. "You've grown soft, Aka the Scarlet Cutthroat."

"Put the blade down, Respitas," Akinen said.

"Why do you care about her?"

"She's my companion," Akinen said.

"Don't be weak, Aka!" Respitas said.

"Respitas. But the blade down," Akinen said, his voice deep and firm. "Now."

Respitas paused. Something in Akinen's voice made him lower his sword, but he still had a snarl on his face.

"You know, that's how it always was," Respitas said. "You always gave us orders like you were Commander. And Commander always supported you. You were always his favorite," Respitas said.

"I remember the day you came to camp, hoping to be a Cutthroat—just a young lad, you were. You always did as you were told, and you were a good, loyal soldier. And then the Commander started paying attention to you, and all of a sudden you got cocky. You grew a reputation of being a Rogue no one would mess with. And now, here you are, protecting this—girl!"

"It pains me to see how low you've sunk, Aka. What would the Commander think if he saw you now?" Respitas said hoarsely.

"The Commander is dead. He's gone. All that's left of him is memories, now," Akinen said, sighing.

"No, that's not the only thing he left," Respitas said.

Akinen looked at him and cocked an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

A grin slowly formed on Respitas's face. "Yes, that's right. He left something behind. You know what that is don't you?"

"Huh? What are ye talking about?" Akinen asked, confused.

"Oh, you know what I mean. Think about it. Something the Commander left behind," Respitas said.

"Look, Respitas, I don't know what yer talking about. I've had enough of yer games now. Leave me now in peace. Tell the main hideout that I won't be coming back for a while," '..if ever', Akinen silently added in in his mind. "Go, now. I'm tired of your games."

"You think I'll leave now? I know you're hiding it. You know where it is, don't you? That's why you didn't come back, isn't it?" Respitas said, grinning.

"I don't know what yer talking about. Go away now, Respitas. I'm sick of yer games."

"Stop hiding it, Aka! Come on! We could split the wealth!" Respitas said.

Akinen turned to look at him. "What did you say?"

"You know what I mean. The Commander's treasure."

Akinen paused, staring at Respitas. Then he turned around to walk away. "I want no part in yer foolish treasure hunt," Akinen said.

"You know what I mean, Aka! I know you do. You know where the treasure is, don't you?" Respitas called after Akinen. Akinen paid him no mind and quietly ignored him.

"I won't give up on this, Aka! I won't return empty-handed!" Respitas said, turning on his heels and trotting away, his Barbarian friend at his heels.

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Weee! Ihope y'all have enjoyed so far ^^ Keep reading--there's lots more to come!

And now, time to reply to comments!

Blue the Echidna: I'm psychic! ;) No not really I just know what a girl in love would do. *wink* Was it just me or was Akinen a little slow on the uptake? :p I find that endearing.Wow! Her birthday is the same as mine! Coolies! I can't wait for next Wednesday! Next saga! Yay! *dance*  
Amai's Reply: Wow! January 23 is your b-day? That is so freaky...Of all the days in the year, I just HAPPENED to have chose your b-day for her! I find that really odd...almost creepy O_o...But very cool, anyway ^^ I'm glad I chose the b-day of one of my most faithful readers!


	2. Chapter 2: Paying the Price

** Last time on _Arelle_:  
** "I won't give up on this, Aka! I won't return empty-handed!" Respitas said, turning on his heels and trotting away.

That night…

The party ate in silence. Since the incident earlier that day with the Cutthroats, the party had barely talked to one another. Even Moren seemed quenched of his usual happy, energetic spirit. All were wondering what would come next. Would Respitas try to force Akinen to help him find the so-called "hidden treasure"? Would he tell the rest of the Cutthroats that Akinen was actually alive, but just not coming back to the main base? What would happen if he did tell them about Akinen? Would they come for Akinen? Would the party's lives, which had just become so peaceful and happy, be destroyed?

"I'm sure…I'm sure everything will turn out ok…" Lilliah said, "…in the end."

"That's right, Lilliah! We should keep our spirits up," Moren said. "It never helps anything to be depressed, anyway," Moren said, with an encouraging glance at the rest of them.

Arelle half-smiled at him, thankful for his words, but inside she still felt the dread of her perfect world crumbling before her. Just the other day she was thinking how wonderful everything was now. Everything was as it should be, and she was completely happy. And now her perfect world was being shaken. She didn't want the Cutthroats to come looking for Akinen. She didn't want them to take Akinen away. She didn't want Akinen to leave! Her perfect world wouldn't be the same without him.

She glanced over at him now, sitting beside Lilliah, staring down at his food. He hadn't taken a bite of food yet. He just sat in silence, looking downward, though his eyes showed that his thoughts were elsewhere. Arelle wished he wouldn't look so sad—it was making her more sad, too. She turned back to her own food and took a bite, sighing.

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Lilliah laid on her back staring at the top of the tent, her eyes wide and unblinking. The air felt cold and dry around her, and she felt sick inside. Her face was emotionless and blank, but her eyes showed that she was in deep thought. She had found Akinen. After so many years, she was together with him, again. But now he faced danger—they all faced danger—and there was a good chance he would have to leave.

She sat upright, her fur blankets falling off her. She held her head in her hands, sighing. She glanced over at Arelle beside her, sleeping away peacefully. Arelle, even though she was asleep, still had a troubled look on her face, and her breathing had become sharp and jagged. Lilliah sighed again, standing up and walking out of the tent.

Once outside, Lilliah glanced at the two forms by the fire. It was currently Akinen's watch, apparently, seeing as how he was sitting upright, staring into the dark forest. Lilliah walked up to him, and he turned to her, hearing her footsteps.

"Hey, Akinen," Lilliah said quietly.

"Hello, lass," Akinen replied. 

Lilliah sat down next to him and lowered her face into her hands, sighing.

"Couldn't sleep, lass?" Akinen asked her.

"No…I couldn't sleep at all," Lilliah said. 

Akinen stared at the fire in front of them. "I've caused some much trouble for everyone. I should have returned to the Cutthroats quickly before everyone else got involved. Now it's too late," Akinen said, hanging his head. "It's all my fault."

Lilliah turned to him quickly. "No! Don't say that!" she said. "Don't ever return to the Cutthroats! Don't ever go back, Akinen. You've made it this far…don't turn back now," Lilliah said.

Akinen sighed. "No, lass. I knew when I joined the Cutthroats that there would be no leaving them. I joined them planning to be a Cutthroat my whole life. Even when I came here and wanted to change, I knew there was no escaping the Cutthroats. Ye don't _leave _the Cutthroats, lass," Akinen said solemnly. "Those who try to leave are called traitors. They're hunted down and killed. Once you've joined the Cutthroats, Lilliah, there's no turning back."

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The next morning….

Lilliah sat on a log, quietly sewing up a tear in one of Akinen's shirts. As she sewed, she hummed softly to herself. Though upon a glance she looked peaceful and satisfied, inside, her mind was troubled. She remembered how Akinen had looked earlier that day. His face looked very troubled, and when he walked, he looked like a heavy burden was weighing upon his back. Lilliah had tried to cheer him up all morning, but to no avail. Although he smiled at her with appreciation, it was painfully easy to see through his smile and realize how very troubled he really was.

That's how he had been when he left earlier that day to go find fruit and vegetables for lunch in the forest. Lilliah had never seen him more troubled looking, as he slowly walked into the dark forest.

Lilliah sighed. Maybe he just needed some time alone to think about things. Meanwhile, she had to keep a look-out on things at camp. Respitas would be likely to return soon. She wondered how she would match up to this so-called Respitas. She hadn't seen him with her own eyes, but Arelle and Moren told her all they knew about him, which wasn't much. If he ambushed her now, would she be able to beat him? It would have been better if the party could've stayed in pairs. One alone couldn't stand up to Respitas and his friend, if what she had heard about them was true.

Lilliah shook these thoughts away as she stood up. She shivered as she realized how cold she was. While she was deep in thought, she hadn't even noticed the cold, but now that she thought about the cold, it seemed unbearable. She slowly crawled inside the tent, reaching for her cloak, but she stopped when she saw a piece of off-white, parched paper with writing on it. Holding it up to her face to read it, she gasped. Her eyes flew across the black words quickly as her eyes went wide, and before she even finished it, she stuck it in her pouch and leapt out of the tent and began making her way through the forest.

The trees whipped her face as she ran through the dense forest brush. Her arms and legs bled from the thorn bushes, but she took no heed. She kept running, her face beginning to sweat, despite the cold, but she didn't even take enough notice to wipe it off. Her mind was elsewhere.

Her mind was on the letter.

"Dear Lilliah, Arelle, and Moren," it began.

I have written you this letter to inform you of my departure. Too long have I been a burden on you, my friends—more now than ever. I should have known long ago that I could not escape the Cutthroats. No man, to my knowledge, has ever escaped the Cutthroats, except for in death. The day I became a Cutthroat, I knew this, as I know now. Now I am paying the price—the price of becoming a Cutthroat. There is no way out. I had foolishly denied this fact, thinking—hoping—that I could do this impossible thing. But, as I said, it was only foolishness.

But not only was my foolishness endangering me, but others around me, as well. I should never have taken the risk to stay with all of you. I should have known it would only endanger you all. I was risking your lives for the sake of my own. For this, I apologize whole-heartedly.

I hope, however, to right this wrong. To not have left you, my friends, would be ensuring your deaths. I hope you will understand. I beg you all to please not follow me.

May you all have wonderful lives. For all the happy times we once had, I thank you. Farewell.

-Akinen

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Ahhhhh! Cliffhanger! Sorry, everyone, for the terrible cliffhanger, but it was it was too perfect to end there... Not only that, but I've been really busy this week. I seriously didn't think I could make it longer without making it late again. I hope it's ok! Tess, my proof reader, said everyone would hate me for it *sniff sniff* It's not true, is it? You still love me, right? *sad puppy-dog eyes*

Yay! Reply to Reviews time!

**Blue the Echidna**: ^_^ I feel all special! Now you have dark elves in the story! Awesome I love DE's! Their so...muah. Anyway, can't wait to find about this treasure. ;)  
**Amai's Reply:** Dark Elves, indeed! _Evil _Dark Elves! I'm glad you like DE's and think they're...muah... *mumble*whatever that means*mumble*. Ahem. Ah, yes...the treasure. You shall see soon. Or maybe not. Maybe it'll be a while before you shall see. Ahem. Indeed.

**Blue the Echidna:** Ack I forgot *first review dance* There we go :)  
**Amai's Reply:** *gasp* you almost forgot one of the most important rituals! Bad things would happen if you forgot, i'm sure! ^.~


	3. Chapter 3: Confessions and More Trouble

Author's Notes: Hey hey! Just wanted to let y'all know that I started a new fanfic. A long time ago I talked about it in my AN, but I never got it posted until now. It's based in the RPG world of White Wolf's Tales of Exalted, and it follows our RPG campaigns, all from my character, Kikyo's, point of view. Spiffy, ne? I'd really appreciate it if any of you guys took a little time out of your busy schedules to read it...it's yet lacking any reviews at all *sob*! Of course, you don't have to. Goodness knows, just keeping up with Arelle is enough for me to appreciate you in itself!

Well, love y'all! Hope you enjoy!

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"…and that's why you shouldn't stress yourself when casting a spell. Just relax—don't push it, or it won't have as much stability _or_ power," Moren continued, pacing in front of Arelle. "It really seems like a simple concept, but you'd be surprised how easy it is to forget it when you actually need to cast a spell."

Moren stopped and looked at Arelle. She sat cross-legged on the ground before him, but her eyes showed that her mind was elsewhere.

"Arelle?" Moren asked.

She jerked her gaze to him. "Yes?"

"Are you paying attention?" he asked, frowning.

"Oh! I'm sorry. I was thinking of something else…" Arelle said.

"Well, try to pay more attention," Moren said sternly.

She blushed in embarrassment. "Yes, of course," she said, staring at the ground before her.

Moren paused. He sighed as he sat down beside her. "Sorry, it's just been a long day," he said to Arelle.

"Oh, no! I'm sorry. I should have been paying more attention," Arelle said.

Moren paused again, letting his head rest on one of his hands. He sighed. "I suppose the whole Cutthroat thing has just gotten me rather down lately. Sorry."

Arelle looked at him. "It's ok, Moren. I think it's got us all down recently," Arelle said.

"Yeah, I guess so," Moren said.

Arelle paused. "How about I fetch us some fresh, cool water from the river?" Arelle asked. "Wouldn't that be nice?"

Moren smiled. "That'd be nice, Arelle. It'd give us a short break from our training. I think we need it," Moren said.

Arelle smiled as she got up. "Ok! I'll see you in a little while then!" she said, walking off towards the river.

************

Moren sighed as he rolled onto his back. Arelle had gone to fetch water from the river for them a while ago, and he was beginning to wonder if he should have gone with her. Oh well, it was too late now. He sighed.

Suddenly, he heard a piercing scream echo through the forest. He jumped to his feet reflexively, recognizing the voice as Arelle's. Arelle was in danger! Moren ran off in the direction Arelle's voice came from, leaving his pack behind him. His mind was racing—why did Arelle scream? She must be in trouble! His heart pounded as he brushed through the thick underbrush, thorns ripping his pants and shirt, but he didn't notice—his mind was on Arelle. Coming upon a thick, impenetrable briar patch, he jumped into a near-by tree and began swinging from limb to limb, above the thick underbrush. Before too long, he reached the river, but what he saw there made his heart race.

Arelle was nowhere in sight, but on the ground was an off-white parchment—covered in blood. Moren trembled as he read the words on the parchment, his shaking hands making the words on it nearly indecipherable. It read as follows:

Well, Aka, it looks like you're in quite a bind now! In case you were wondering—yes, I've stolen your beloved "companion". This, Aka, is why you shouldn't have people you truly care about. They only get in the way. They're such easy targets! 

Of course, this might not have happened if you had helped us find the treasure. I know you know where it is. You wanted it for yourself, so of course you wouldn't tell us! However, now I'll give you two choices. They're really quite simple, actually. 1, you help us find the treasure, and we give you back your friend, that accursed fire caster. 2, you keep the treasure for yourself, and we get to kill your friend nice and slow and painful like.

The choice is yours. I'll give you seven days to make your decision. After that, I can't guaranty your friend's safety, I'm afraid. Meet me at the place few else know of—you should know where I mean— with your answer seven days from now. I'll be waiting for your answer, Aka the Scarlet Cutthroat.

-Respitas

Moren clenched his fist, crumpling the parchment, his face twisted in anger. Seeing the tracks of the Cutthroats going off into the forest, he took off after them with great speed. His anger had gotten the better of him, and though he knew he should tell Akinen and Lilliah, he was too enraged to stop and think. 

Moren's mind burned in fury. How dare they! He would make them pay.

*****************

Lilliah stopped abruptly from her sprinting, panting loudly. Her chest hurt from running so fast for so long and her brow was covered in sweat.

"Where can he be?" she thought to herself. "I've been running for nearly an hour!" she sighed, her heart still beating furiously, pounding inside her chest. Though she wished she could stop running, she knew inside that she would never forgive herself if she let Akinen get away.

Checking the tracks below her, she saw that she was still on the right track. She wasn't a Ranger, but she was glad that she had at least learned how to follow tracks. Any Barbarian could do that, after all, since they did so much hunting. 

Preparing to start running again, she stopped abruptly when she heard something in the bushes ahead of her. Jerking up, she saw the form was a man. Her eyes widened as she realized it was Akinen sitting before her. Running up to meet him, she stopped in her tracks as she heard him speak.

"Go back, lass," he said solemnly, not even looking up at her. She blinked. His face looked so solemn. He looked…almost angry.

"Akinen?" Lilliah asked, taking a step towards him

"Go back, lass," he said, a bit louder this time. She stared at him in confusion.

Neither of them moved.

"No, I won't!" Lilliah said forcefully. Akinen looked up at her, a bit surprised at her firmness.

"I'm not going back, Akinen," she continued.

"Didn't ye read my letter, lass?" he asked. "I don't want it to be this way, either, but it has to be like this!"

Lilliah knelt in front of him, staring into his eyes. "No, it doesn't," she said. "It can't be like this. It won't be like this. That's what I promised myself, long ago. I won't let it be like this."

"Lass, ye can't change it! I would change it myself, if I could, bu—"

"No!" Lilliah cut Akinen off. "No. You won't leave me again. You won't abandon me again, Akinen. Don't you understand? I will never leave your side. Never. I don't care if you return to Arelle and Moren. I don't care if you go into the depths of hell itself. I will follow you there, Akinen. Wherever you go, I will follow you, Akinen. Isn't that what I told you before? I will never leave you," Lilliah said, taking his hand in hers.

Akinen stared at her, their eyes locked. Then he looked down and shook his head.

"No, I won't do that to ye, Lilliah. I won't take away yer freedom like that," he said.

Lilliah furrowed her brows in confusion. "Akinen, you're not taking away my freedom! I've chosen to do this. The decision was mine!"

"It was a foolish decision then!" Akinen exclaimed, looking into her eyes again. She stared at him in horror, fearing what he would say next. He sighed, looking down again.

"Akinen…" Lilliah said, tears beginning to fall down her cheeks.

Akinen sighed again. "Lilliah, no matter how I feel about ye, I won't take away yer freedom. Don't ye see? If I left ye now, ye could go home. _Home_, Lilliah. The place where ye belong," Akinen said, solemnly. "I wish I could go home, to the place where _I _belonged. But there is no place I belong, Lilliah. I will never fit in in Felwithe again. Never. When I left, I knew there was no returning. I left my home, never to return.

"But _ye_, lass. Ye are different. Ye still have a home. All ye need to do is go back to it. But for ye to go back, first ye have to give up on me. Nothing good will ever come of me, lass. I'm nothing but a burden. Go _home_, Lilliah. Go home…before it's too late for ye, too," Akinen ended.

Lilliah stared into his eyes, tears falling freely now. Suddenly, she embraced him, sobbing into his shoulder. He was surprised, but he let her sob into his shoulder, patting her back reassuringly.

"Is that…why you always left me…Akinen?" she sobbed. "You thought you were…taking away my freedom? My freedom…to go home?" Lilliah asked through her tears.

He paused. "Yes, lass. That's why I tried to make ye return home after I saved ye from the Cutthroats, even though ye wanted to stay with me. And that's one of the reasons I left you with Arelle and Moren. I just…can't stand…to make ye live like I live. To be an outcast…never have a home…That's just one of the worst fates. I couldn't have it happen to ye. Especially not because of me."

"Akinen, didn't I already tell you?" Lilliah sobbed. "I don't _want _to live in Halas with my kind! I don't want to leave you! Halas isn't my home, Akinen. My home is with you."

Akinen paused. "Ye say that…but what if you regret it later? What if, in years to come, ye decide ye want to go to a place where you fit in—yer home. And what if, even now, deep in your heart, ye really want to go home to a place where ye belong? And ye just _think _you want to be with me? I can't take away yer chance to fit in somewhere, lass. I ruined my chance to ever fit in with my own kind. Ye still have the chance, and I can't take that away from ye. I just…can't."

"Akinen!" Lilliah exclaimed, pulling away from him, "After all I've said, and you still believe I would be happier in Halas?! I'm tired of that! I told you I want to be with you, and I wasn't lying! I love you, Akinen. To live without you by my side would be torture. I know this, because I lived without you before.

"Five years I lived without you. I questioned myself over and over again. And then, I decided. Yes, I decided, and it all became clear after that.

"I don't care if you love someone else, Akinen. I don't care if all I will ever be is the Barbarian who follows you around wherever you go. All I want is to be near you, Akinen. I never want to leave your side. Even as just your companion. I want to be by your side. You are my home, Akinen. With you is where I belong. I will never leave you."

********************

Heh...Notice how I've perfected the technique of ALWAYS leaving TERRIBLE cliffhangers? Just like the proffessionals, ne? Or at least I like to tell myself that...^^

Time to reply to reviews!

**Blue the Echidna:** Ahh No Akinen! He can't leave! Evil cutthroats and their rules... o_o I hope Lilliah can catch him! OO   
** Amai's Reply: **'Twas quite a cliffhanger, ne? But it all turned out right in the end, as always ^^ I can't write a _thing_ that doesn't turn out fluffy in the end! *sigh* 'Tis a curse, I suppose...

**Lady Aniviel Greenleaf: **Aka cant leave!! Curse cutthroats im gonna go kill them on EQ now!! Hope Lillah catches him!  
**Amai's Reply: **More comments on Akinen leaving ^^ I'm glad it had a big affect! At least no one said anything like, "I'm sure glad Akinen's leavin, I hated him..."


	4. Chapter 4: The Orphan

Author's Notes: Erk! Eheheh...-.-;;; Better late than never! Oh, and due to the fact that I'm really busy all day Tuesday and have trouble writing Arelle (yes, I right Arelle the day before it's due...I'd be such a bad writer...), I'm moving the day I upload new chapters to Thursday. Not a major change or anything, but I thought I'd tell y'all. Yep.

******************** 

            Last time on _Arelle_: "All I want is to be near you, Akinen.  With you is where I belong.  I will never leave you," Lilliah said. 

            Lilliah looked at Akinen, and their eyes locked. 

            Suddenly, a shrill voice rang through the forest.  Akinen and Lilliah both jumped up, searching for where the voice had come from. 

           "Was that Arelle?!" Lilliah asked, beginning to panic.

            "I think so, lass!" Akinen said, brows furrowed.  "We better get to her—and fast!"  Akinen exclaimed, running in the direction the scream had come from. 

******************* 

            Moren felt his heart pounding inside his chest as he ran through the forest.  His eyes burned in rage—how dare someone try to hurt Arelle!  Never before had something like this happened to Arelle, and never again would it happen, if Moren could help it.  

Briefly leaning down to the ground, he saw the Cutthroats had begun attempting to cover their tracks with foliage.  They had attempted to hide their tracks in a hurry, and it showed.  It was a poor attempt, and by merely shifting the leaves, their footprints were quite visible.  At least, the Barbarian's footprints were.  The Dark Elf was quite light-footed, actually, and rarely did he leave much of a track.  The Barbarian, however, obviously never learned this trait, as his tracks were deep and obvious. 

Even if he couldn't clearly see the tracks, however, Moren would still have found them an easy lot to follow.  To put it quite bluntly—they reeked.  Obviously it had been a while since they had enjoyed the pleasant activity of taking baths.  And with Moren's acute sense of smell—well, they were hard to _miss.  _If Respitas had planned this escapade hoping to run away with Arelle and not be able to be followed, he had obviously made some drastic errors in his plan. 

However, Moren's mind wasn't on the pleasantness of being able to easily track them.  His mind was on other things—such as, why he had left Arelle alone, how he was so stupid for leaving Arelle alone, and how that he would make the Cutthroats pay for all they had done—first threatening Arelle's uncle, then kidnapping her. 

However, these thoughts came to a pause as he saw that he was coming out of the forest and onto a rocky area. 

Though Greater Faydark was, of course, known for being mostly forest, it did have some rocky areas.  Stone lined much of the outskirts or Greater Faydark, and though where Moren stood now wasn't very close to the outskirts, it had the same common white stone. 

Moren ran across the cold stone, relying most on his sense of smell to follow them now.  As he ran, the smell became harder to track, since now he was out in the open instead of in that dense forest.  

Moren stopped.  A little ways before him was a small hill of stone, and in that hill he saw what looked suspiciously like a large opening that had been sealed with boulders and stone rubble.  Running up to the opening, he attempted to scurry up the rocks to see if there was an opening at the top. 

Climbing up the rocks turned out to be more difficult than he had thought, and more than once he lost his footing on some of the loose rubble.  However, eventually he made his way to the top, where he found that there was, indeed, no opening large enough to fit through. 

Yelling in frustration, he began attempting to clear a way through.  The rubble was easy enough to clear away, but the large rocks underneath the rubble were very heavy, and Moren was unable to move them.  Making a small hole, he stuck his head in, attempting to push his way through, but it was to no avail.  He wasn't going to be able to get in. 

As he made his way down the pile, he began to come to his senses.  Even if he did catch up with them, what would he do?  They had Arelle as a hostage.  There really wasn't anything he _could _do, considering any wrong move he made could be the end of Arelle's life.  

As he reached the bottom, he sighed.  He _would _get Arelle back, but not like this.  Once Akinen agreed to help the Cutthroats find the so-called hidden treasure, they wouldn't have any reason to keep Arelle hostage.  They'd let her go. 

Moren had to find Akinen and Lilliah.  He had to tell them what had happened. 

With these thoughts, Moren ran back towards the camp. 

******************** 

Before too long, Moren reached the spot the Cutthroats had left the note.  There, with the note in hand, Moren saw Akinen sitting on the ground, his face in his hands.  Beside him stood Lilliah, who had a very troubled look on her face as she paced back and forth in front of Akinen.  When the two saw Moren, they called to him. 

"You saw the note?" Lilliah questioned, but it was more of a statement.  Lilliah glanced at the parchment in Akinen's hand. 

"Yes.  Yes I did," Moren said grimly. 

"It's all my fault," Akinen said.  "I'm such an idiot!  This is all my fault!"  Akinen exclaimed. 

Lilliah put a hand on his shoulder comfortingly.  "It'll be all right, Akinen!  We'll get Arelle back, safe and sound," Lilliah said. 

Akinen paused.  "I've ruined everything…" Akinen said.  "I should have left sooner!  I knew something like this would happen!" 

"Left sooner?" Moren questioned.  "What do you mean?" 

"I'm sorry I've been such a burden, lad.  I should have left ye sooner.  Being a Cutthroat, I knew I couldn't be part of yer group!  I knew I was endangering ye!  I should have left sooner," Akinen said. 

"What?  Then you were leaving?" Moren asked, confused. 

"Yes, he was, but that doesn't matter now.  He can't leave now," Lilliah said.  "I, for one, am glad of that.  But there are more important things at hand—what about Arelle?" 

"What about her?  All we have to do is help Respitas and his friend find the treasure, right?" Moren said.  "Then she's free!  Right?" Moren said, but his voice shook with worry. 

Akinen looked at the ground.  "I…I don't know, lad…" 

Moren looked at him hard.  "What do you mean?  It's simple—just lead them to the treasure!  You do know where the treasure is, don't you?" 

Akinen kept looking at the ground.  "Well…I suppose so, yes…I do know where it is…" 

"Then what's the problem?" Moren asked. 

Akinen paused.  "I can't give them that treasure." 

Moren paused frowning deeply, shocked.  "You don't mean that that treasure is more important to you than your own niece, do you?!  You wouldn't give up your own niece for something as simple as treasure, would you?!  You wouldn't, would you, Akinen?" 

"It's not that simple, lad…" Akinen said. 

"Not that simple?!  What do you mean?!" Moren asked, getting really riled up. 

"Calm down, lad.  You're misunderstanding," Akinen said. 

"Well, then explain it to me!" Moren exclaimed. 

Akinen paused.  "The problem is…" Akinen said, sighing, "the treasure already belongs to someone." 

Moren paused,  "Oh." 

"Yes, well, that is the problem, lad," Akinen said. 

"Then, the hidden treasure isn't actually _hidden_, is it?" Moren asked. 

"Well, hidden to some, lad, but not the owner of it," Akinen replied. 

"I see," Moren said.  "Well…Then what do we do? What _can _we do?  I don't suppose Respitas would be satisfied if we just told him the treasure now belonged to somebody?" 

"No…no, he wouldn't be satisfied with that," Akinen said.  "He'd be mad.  Very mad.  He'd probably hurt Arelle.  Maybe kill her, knowing Respitas." 

"I'm curious…just how well _do_ you known Respitas?" Moren asked. 

Akinen paused.  "Pretty well…he was a member of the group of Cutthroats I was in before the Felwithe Guards killed our band.  He was second in command when I first got there, but—well, I think that should wait till another time.  It's a long story, really.  And we should focus on getting Arelle back right now." 

"Yes, you're right," Moren said, sighing.  "Well, what can we do?" 

"We certainly are in a predicament," Lilliah said. 

Moren nodded.  "Yes, we are…" he said,  "Just who _is _it that owns the treasure, Akinen?" 

Akinen paused, "Someone who needs it." 

Moren cocked an eyebrow at him.  "Who?  Why does he need it?  Does he need it more than _us_?" Moren asked. 

"It's not a 'he', it's a 'she'.  And really, it's a rather long story," Akinen said. 

"We need to know, Akinen!  Maybe we can get him—or her—to give back the money, so we can save Arelle with it!" 

Akinen sighed.  "Very well, lad," Akinen said.  "I will tell you the story. 

"It began on a cold winter evening when the Commander, whose name was actually Rael, was walking in the Wood-Elf city, Kelethin… 

Rael pulled his cloak closely around him as he walked along the wooden platforms the Wood-Elfs built their city upon.  High in the trees this city was built, with wooden bridges connecting each platform with each other.  The platforms were built around trees, being supported by the massive tree branches. 

Though Rael was a Wood-Elf himself, he knew a disguise was still necessary in this city, and every other city, him being a wanted man.  Yes, Rael was a Rogue—a Cutthroat, to be more precise.  Not only was he a Cutthroat, he was the commander of his own group of Cutthroats, and had been for years. 

Currently, Rael was on a trip to meet with the commander of another group of Cutthroats in the area.  He had left his group behind, seeing how he couldn't really enter the city with a whole band of Cutthroats, but had only taken with him his right-hand man, Akinen. 

He looked over at Akinen now ands smiled as he saw the young man glancing about the city in wonder and fascination.  Akinen was a young High-Elf who had never seen Kelethin before, and the lad was taking everything he could in while still attempting to not draw any attention to the two Rogues. 

Out of the corner of his eye, Rael caught sight of a small quarrel happening on the other side of the platform he was on.  Curious, he hid behind a nearby building and listened, with Akinen following his lead. 

"…I told you, I don't have the money yet, sirs!  I said I would be getting the money soon!"  the lady, who seemed to be at the heart of the quarrel, was saying. 

"How in Norrath would a good-for-nothin, homeless orphan like you be able to pay off your huge debt?" the man in front of her said. 

"I may be an orphan, but I'm not homeless!  And the way I will be paying off my debt will be by working harder!  I have more work than ever now that Marika quite at the tavern, so the Innkeep's paying me double!  That means that that debt is good as gone!" the lady said. 

"Double _your _wages?  What's that, then—maybe a third of our wages?" another man taunted, "No, maybe more like a fourth!" 

"Look, sirs, what I'm _saying _is that I'll soon have enough to pay my debts.  Tell that to m'lord.  Just a little longer," she said. 

"You idiot!  You're debt was due weeks ago!  If you don't have at least half of it paid off in three days, we're turning you in to the authorities!" the man exclaimed. 

"Just a little longer!  I promise I can repay you!" she said desperately.  "I work everyday from the moment the sun rises, till the moment it vanishes from the sky.  If I just keep up this pace, with these wages, I'll have the money for you in no time!" 

"I'm tired of listening to you!" the man said, turning.  "If you don't have the money in three days, we'll turn you in to the authorities.  Then they'll give us your property to repay your debt, and you can go live as a homeless bum.  Good bye!" the man said, turning and walking away. 

The woman watched the men leave, and when they were out of her sight, she sunk to her knees, eyes downcast.  Rael watched as she clutched her thin shawl around her.  He could see she was freezing, and no wonder, for it was in the middle of winter, and she wore nothing but a thin dress with short sleeves and a small shawl over it. 

Suddenly the woman became aware of a little boy begging by her.  The boy looked up at her, bowl outstretched toward her.  

"Lady?" the boy asked in his quiet, child-like voice.  She smiled at him, but her smile was forced and painful. 

"I'm sorry… I don't have any money to give you," she said.  He nodded slowly and turned to leave, sorrowfully.  She watched as he walked away slowly, shivering visibly, wrapping his arms around his chest, hoping to save some of his warmth.  The little boy wore nothing but a pair of trousers and a thin tunic—both several sizes too small. 

"Wait!" she called to him.  He turned around to face her.  Kneeling in front of him, she bit her lip.  Taking the shawl off her shoulders, she wrapped it around the little boy. 

The boy looked up at her, his eyes sparkling with gratitude.  She smiled at him again, but unlike last time, this time her smile was genuine. 

"To keep you warm," she said. 

"Thank you, m'lady!" the boy said gratefully. 

She smiled.  "Just call me Lyrial," she said. 

He nodded.  "Thank you, Lady Lyrial!" he said enthusiastically. 

She giggled.  "You're welcome, sir!" 

*************************

Note: Stariting next week, new chapters of Arelle will be uploaded on THURSDAY instead of WEDNESDAY. Ok? Ok.

**Blue the Echidna: **Ack! Not Arelle! O.O I wonder what Moren will do. Maybe now Akinen will understand. :) Evil cliffhangers.. Only 6 reviews? This will not do! Time to break out the chopsticks again!  
**Amai's Reply: **Lol! Yay! the chopsticks return! ^^ As for Akinen--we _hope_ he'll understand now, don't we? Goodness...

**Lady Aniviel Greenleaf:** Gr i really hate cutthroats now more than ever!! Poor Arelle. Cant wait to see what happens next! bye till then!  
**Amai's Reply:** I hate the Cutthroats, too! Except for Akinen, of course ^^ And the Commander. But they do make great villains, ne? ^^


	5. Chapter 5: To Keep You Warm

Last time on _Arelle_: "Wait!" she called to him. Kneeling in front of him, she bit her lip. Taking the shawl off her shoulders, she wrapped it around the little boy. 

The boy looked up at her, his eyes sparkling with gratitude. She smiled at him again, but unlike last time, this time her smile was genuine. 

"To keep you warm," she said.

The woman, Lyrial, as she had called herself, turned and entered the tavern behind her, where Rael assumed she worked. After watching her leave, Rael turned around and sighed, staring out into the forest.

"He was just like me..." Rael muttered.

Akinen turned to him. "What was that, Commander?"

"Don't call me that inside the city!" Rael whispered to Akinen. Akinen nodded apologetically.

"Right, Sir!" Akinen answered quickly.

Rael sighed again. "The little boy was just like me...A poor, Wood-Elf orphan, wandering the cold wooden platforms of Kelethin..." Rael trailed off.

Akinen stared at his Commander and blinked, a bit startled. Rael rarely gave any clues to his past before he had joined the Cutthroats, and to have chosen here and now to talk about it seemed odd.

Rael suddenly cleared his throat, wrapping his cloak around him closely, once again. "But that is in the past...And not to be talked of...at least, not _here_," Rael said, looking Akinen in the eye.

Akinen nodded, and followed Rael as Rael began winding through the crowds of people again.

**************

"Welcome, sirs," the man said as he stood up to greet Rael and Akinen. Rael and Akinen had just arrived at the Kelethin Rogue Guild...Scouts of Tunare. As they walked in, all eyes in the room had rested upon the two suspicious strangers, wrapped in black cloaks. Many turned back to their work, but one man had stood up to greet them.

Akinen eyed the man suspiciously, but Rael kept a solemn face as the man leaned close to them and whispered. "Might you be the one they call...Master Rael?" the man said, his voice becoming quieter as he whispered Rael's name.

"I am," Rael replied, his face and voice solemn and serious.

"I see," the man said. He turned to Akinen now. "We were expecting you and your second-in-command...but surely, this _boy_ isn't..."

"I didn't come here to hear your opinions on whom I should chose as my second-in-command," Rael said firmly, cutting the man off. "Take me to Zirok."

The man was surprised, and Akinen watched as his face grew red in anger, but he quickly shook it off. "Of course," he hissed through his teeth, turning to the door in the back of the room.

********************

3 hours later...

Rael walked briskly out of the Rogue Guild, Akinen trailing behind him. Rael's face was twisted in anger, and his footsteps were loud and heavy on the planks of wood below him. Akinen opened his mouth to speak, but after seeing his Commander's face, decided it was wiser not to.

"Zirok is a fool!" Rael said once he was outside the Rogue guild. Akinen cringed at the sound of Rael's voice. "He should _know _he can't take out a _guard post_!" Rael fumed.

"Comm...err, Sir, please, not so loud!" Akinen said, glancing about at the people walking close by. "You'll draw attention!"

Once they had reached the middle of the platform, away from the Rogue guild, Rael turned to Akinen.

"He is a fool for what he plans to do, Akinen!" Rael said. "A band of Cutthroats taking out such a guard post...that's not what Cutthroats do, Akinen! We don't attack guard posts! What Zirok plans is suicide...and not only for himself, but for his men, as well! If he attacks that guard post, he and his group of Cutthroats are as good as dead!" Rael said.

Akinen laid a hand on his Commander's shoulder, trying to calm him. "You're right, Sir," Akinen said, "but there's nothing we can do about it...it's his decision, not ours."

Rael brushed his hand through his hair, upset. "I know it's his decision. But I can't help thinking about all the lives he's throwing away," Rael said, frustrated. "And then he asks me for my help...asks me to send _my_ men out to die, too!" Rael exclaimed.

"Ha, well, he'll never ask _you_ again after all you said back to him!" Akinen chuckled.

Rael glared at him, but his mouth curved in a smile after seeing Akinen's. "Well, he deserved it! The idiot! Sending his men out to die like that! He should know it's suicide!" Rael said, and Akinen's face turned serious again.

Rael sighed. "It's the power. The power he has over his men," Rael said. "It's gotten to him. He's lost his senses...he thinks he'll be able to slowly take out the Felwithe guards! With one band of twenty or so Cutthroats! It's suicide. Akinen, lad, promise me something."

Akinen turned to look at his Commander.

"Promise me you will _never _let power run to your head like Zirok," Rael said.

Akinen stared into Rael's eyes. "I promise, Sir."

Rael smiled and clapped Akinen on the shoulder. "That's a good lad. You'll turn out pretty good, I'd say."

"Sir, I'm already twenty!" Akinen exclaimed in exasperation.

Rael laughed at the boy. "Yes, yes, I know," he laughed. "That means you're still just a lad!"

****************

Later that day...

Rael lay on his back, staring up at the ceiling. He had rented a room in the Inn for he and Akinen to stay in...they would stay yet another day, and then they would return to the forest. Hopefully in one more day, he could convince Zirok to not attack the Felwithe guard post, but in all truth, Rael already knew Zirok was too stubborn to turn back now. He really doubted Zirok would listen to anything he said...they were, after all, in some ways rivals. Of course, Rael really didn't think of Zirok like that, but Zirok definitely thought of Rael like that.

Rael sighed out loud as he turned on his side. He really didn't feel tired at all, which was expected, seeing how it was still an hour before dark. He had hoped to sleep and wake up early...things always seemed better in the morning...but he couldn't sleep with so many things on his mind.

"To keep you warm..."

The voice echoed inside Rael's head. That girl...she had given away her shawl. She wore nothing but a thin dress and shawl, and she had given her shawl away to that little boy! That little boy. He was an orphan...just like Rael himself. Oh, how that little boy reminded him of himself at that age. Wandering Kelethin alone, begging for enough money to buy food. No one had ever given him the shawl off their back. No one had smiled at him with such kindness. No one had ever treated him with the kindness that that girl had treated that little boy with.

Who was that girl, anyway? Could someone like that really exist...someone who would give the shawl off their back to a passing beggar? She had so little, and by the looks of it, was in debt further than she could get out of. And yet, she gave her shawl to that little boy.

Rael felt a pang of guilt inside. Here he was with jewels in his pocket...and quite a stash of his own treasure hidden, as well. And yet, he had never given anything more than a coin to any beggar he had met on the street. How could someone with so little give, when he himself, with all his riches, had never given so much?

He sat up in bed, holding his face in his hands. He felt sick inside...sick with guilt. Grabbing his cloak from the chair by the window, he left his room.

***************

As he left the Inn, he remembered that Akinen had told him earlier that he would be looking around Kelethin a bit. Rael smiled as he thought of the boy...he knew Akinen had been itching as soon as they arrived in Kelethin to go explore the curious city, but he had contained himself until their business was done.

Stopping suddenly, he realized he was in front of a tavern. He had gone there unconsciously, but he knew in his mind that that's where he wanted to be.

It was the tavern the girl, Lyrial, had gone into...the tavern where she worked.

Opening the door, he stepped inside.

"Welcome, stranger! Have a seat!" a girl said, walking up to him and beckoning him to come sit down. He nodded to her as he sat down in a seat, but his eyes darted back and forth across the tavern, looking for Lyrial.

"Looking for something, sir?" she said curiously, seeing him glancing about.

"Ahh, well, that is...yes," Rael said. "I'm looking for the Lady Lyrial."

"Oh, Lyrial? Why are you looking for her? You're not looking for her because of her... err... debts, are you?" the waitress asked.

"No, no. Nothing like that. I just wanted to..." Rael began, but he trailed off. "Umm, actually, never mind. I don't really have anything to say to her," Rael said.

The waitress eyed him curiously. "All right then," she said. "Then...Would you like a drink?" she asked, but she saw he was looking past her. She turned to see Lyrial coming out of the back. She cocked an eyebrow at him, as she watched him staring at Lyrial, eyes following her as she bounded around the room cheerfully, greeting customers and grabbing dirty dishes from the tables.

"Want me to get Lyrial for you?" the waitress asked, eyeing him curiously.

"Hmm?" he said, his attention back on the waitress in front of him. "Oh, umm, no thanks," he said, turning to watch Lyrial again.

The waitress rolled her eyes. "Then how bout a drink, stranger?"

Once again, his attention turned to the waitress. "A drink?" he asked. "Ah, yes, please."

"All right then!" she said, taking off for the bar.

Rael watched Lyrial prance around the room picking up dirty dishes and bringing drinks to customers. Then he saw the waitress who had talked to him lean over and whisper something in Lyrial's ear. Lyrial looked up and glanced about the room. Rael saw them looking at him and looked away, as if he hadn't noticed them.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Lyrial bounding down the hallway to him. She was certainly energetic!

"Hey there, stranger!" she said once she was close to him. "I heard you wanted to talk to me about something?"

She was a bit surprised as he stood up, looking at her.

"I saw what you did," Rael said.

"Excuse me?" Lyrial said, surprised and confused.

"For the orphan," Rael said. "You gave away your shawl to that orphan."

"Ahh," Lyrial said, looking away, "I didn't know anyone was watching..." she said.

"Thank you," Rael said. 

She looked into his eyes. "Hmm?"

"Thank you, Lady Lyrial."

"Thank you for what? For giving my shawl to an orphan?" Lyrial asked, a bit confused.

"Yes," Rael said.

She paused. "Oook...You're welcome...I guess..." she trailed off, obviously still a bit confused.

Rael reached into his pocket and brought out a small ruby, pressing it into her palm.

Looking down at what he was pressing into her palm, she gasped. "Great Tunare! What..."

"Here," he muttered, "take this."

"No, I can't," she said, pushing it back into his hand and looking away. He looked at her, but she wouldn't meet eyes with him. "I can't, stranger. I don't understand why you would give me something like this...But I can't take it," she said, turning to leave.

"No, Lady Lyrial, please take it. Buy yourself a new shawl. You need it...To keep you warm," Rael said, repeating her words to the orphan boy.

The words clicked in her mind, and she looked down at the ruby he still pressed into her palm.

"Ok," she said solemnly, letting her fingers curl over it. "I'll take it," she said. "But only if I can do something for you in return," she said.

Rael placed his hands on her shoulders, looking into her eyes. "Very well. Do this for me," he said. "Promise me you will always follow your heart, never give up on your dreams, and never loose you compassion and love for others." Rael said solemnly.

"Promise I'll always follow my heart, never give up on my dreams, and never loose my compassion and love for others?" she asked, a bit surprised at his request. "Now, _that's _an odd request!"

He smiled.

"Very well, then," she said, smiling. "I, Lyrial Ki'mal, promise to _always_ follow my heart, _never_ give up on my dreams, and _never_ loose my compassion and love for others!" she exclaimed, smiling.

"And you swear that in the name of Tunare, the Mother of All?" Rael asked.

"I swear it in the name of BristleBane!" Lyrial said.

"The god of thieves and trickery?" Rael asked her, skeptic of how an oath swore on the god of trickery would be of any use at all.

"Hey! I prefer to think of him as the god of free-spiritedness and merry-making!" she smiled.

Rael laughed out loud. "You go ahead and think of him that way, Lyrial Ki'mal!"

"I will!" said, faking an offended voice, "and don't you think for one minute an oath swore to BristleBane is no good. An oath is nothing to prank about...when I say I mean to keep that oath, I do! Because I already swore to do those things long ago. And I plan to keep that oath!" she said.

"I take your word on it, then, Lyrial," he said, smiling at her.

"And why is it, stranger, that you seem to know and use my name so well and often, and I haven't the slightest clue who you are or what your name is?" Lyrial asked him.

He smiled. "My name is Rael, m'lady," he said, turning to walk to the door. "And as for who I am... Merely a wandering orphan," he said, walking out of the tavern.

_*************************_

**Blue the Echidna**: Can this story get any better? I mean my gosh :) Now I'm interested in this orphan. Hmm.. well keep going!   
**Amai's Reply: **Aww, thank you so much! That made me feel all warm and fuzzy inside ^^ Thank you very much!

**Lady Aniviel Greenleaf: **Great chappy poor Arelle how they gonna save her now?   
Is it really only me and blue reviewing?? this story deserves better than that!!  
**Amai's Reply:** I guess it'll be a while before we figure out how they'll save Arelle, since we're now in *flashback mode* ^^ Don't worry..i'll get back to the main plot PRETTY soon.... As for only you and Blue the Echidna reviewing Arelle, alas, it is so. I think most people won't read Arelle just for the fact that it's so LONG O_o... So, yes, it's just you two, but I really appreciate both of you! ^^ Oh, and Digitaru might come back some day, in which case we'll have THREE people reviewing each chappy again ^^


	6. Chapter 6: The Ruby

In silence, Rael watched the people passing by him, all going about their daily tasks. He was on one of the Kelethin market platforms and found himself surrounded by shops and large crowds of people. He turned to Akinen, who stood beside him. Although he couldn't see Akinen's face, for the hood the boy wore cast a shadow on his fair High-Elf features, Rael knew that the boy was glancing about at the busy Wood-Elves as they scurried around the platforms, looking for things to buy. He smiled and sighed, closing his eyes and taking in all the sounds of the town. This place certainly did bring back memories of his childhood.

Listening to the people around him, he suddenly caught interest in a conversation between a merchant and a young boy.

"Hello there, Fyim!" the merchant said, smiling cheerfully. "How goes it?"

"Good, sir," Fyim replied, smiling back.

"Doing some shopping again today?" the merchant asked. 

Fyim nodded and began to browse the merchant's merchandise.

"How's Lyrial doing these days?" the merchant asked.

Rael's eyes shot open and he looked over at the two. They were talking about Lyrial!

"Very good, sir!" the boy said, enthusiastically.

"Oh? That's good! What of her debts, then, lad?" the merchant asked, curious now.

"Well, the strangest thing happened last night, sir!" the boy said. "See, Lyrial had just run in to more trouble with, you know, her debts. They threatened to turn her in if she didn't have the half of the money in three days!" Fyim continued, "But then the queerest thing happened—she was at work at the tavern, as usual, when she ran into this strange man—an outsider, clothed in a dark cloak. And, well---it's hard to believe, actually—but he gave her a ruby!" the boy said, whispering the last part to the merchant.

The merchant was obviously astonished.

"And for nothing at all in return, but a promise! Can you believe that?" Fyim asked, overflowing with joy.

"A promise, eh? It sounded good until that point. What has Lyrial gotten herself into this time?" the merchant said, shaking his head. "Well, boy, what was the promise she made?"

"Ahh, let me think—I believe it was 'to always follow your heart, never give up on your dreams, and never loose you compassion and love for others'," Fyim said.

The merchant raised an eyebrow. "Well, those are certainly odd promises! And he gave her a ruby for _that_?" the merchant asked, a bit skeptical.

The boy nodded.

"Well, even if it's one of the stranger stories I've heard, I'm glad for Lyrial," the merchant said. "We were all worried about her, taking care of you two all by herself—and with all those debts! She certainly has been keeping all those promises she made so far, so it shouldn't be a change for her," he said, smiling. "She's such a sweet girl—taking all of you in, and all that."

Rael's mind was filled with confusion, and he eyed the boy curiously.

After buying a few goods, the boy, Fyim, left the merchant and began walking down one of the platforms, away from the market. Rael, his curiosity getting the better of him, followed the boy. 

Being a Rogue, Rael had no trouble following the boy, and soon he found himself coming upon a house.

A considerably nice house, and rather large, it was. He was a bit surprised to Fyim knock on the door, at which the door was opened from the inside, and Fyim walked in. As soon as the door was shut, Rael ran across the platform to the house, and hid underneath one of its windows. Soon, he could hear a conversation between the boy, Fyim, and a younger, female voice.

"Where's Lyrial, Fyim?" the girl's voice asked.

"Just wait a while, Keylim," Fyim's voice said. "You know she's so busy with her work! And don't pester her as soon as she gets home about how you're so hungry, like you did last time. You know we don't have enough money for more food, and it only makes her feel bad!" 

Keylim sighed. "Well, what about that ruby that she got? Isn't it worth a lot? Then why can't she buy us more food?" the girl asked.

"Keylim, you know we have to pay the debts for the house, first! You're not going to die of starvation, you know! And what if they turn Lyrial in for not paying the debt? Then what would we do? We'd be thrown out on the street again—we'd be like how we were before Lyrial took us in—starving orphans, out on in the cold, begging for coins, always on the edge of starvation!" Fyim fumed.

Keylim looked at the ground before her, tears forming in her eyes.

Fyim rolled his eyes as he put a hand on her shoulder. "There, there, don't cry," he said sympathetically. "Everything's fine. They won't turn Lyrial in as long as she has that ruby to pay them with. I don't think that ruby will pay for all our debts, but it may give her the chance to get ahead on them. After the money runs out from the ruby, she'll have enough from her job, that she'll be able to settle the debts on the house…hopefully," Fyim said. The last part he muttered quietly—not quite loud enough for Keylim to hear through her sobs, but enough for a certain Wood-Elf Rogue sitting underneath the window to hear.

*******************

Rael pondered about the conversation he had heard between Fyim and Keylim. Lyrial was apparently taking care of those two orphans in her house, but she was struggling to make enough money for them. It was no wonder---she was just a tavern girl, and she was trying to support herself, two kids, and also pay for that big house! Not to mention he _knew _she was prone to giving things away to random orphans that wondered by on the street.

He sighed, but a smile played on his lips. She certainly was ambitious. And kind-hearted, as well. And what better combination could there be for a person? All she needed was money. And money was all Rael had.

Suddenly, he saw Akinen pacing towards him.

"Comman—err, Sir, I'm sorry!" the boy said as he reached Rael. "I guess I wasn't paying attention, and somehow lost you!"

"No, it was me, lad," Rael said. "I was the one who left you—I should've told you I was leaving. But all is well now," Rael said.

"Should we go to the meeting with Zirok now, sir?" Akinen asked.

Rael sighed. "Yes, I suppose so. Though it seems futile to try to persuade him not to go through with his plans, I suppose we should try, anyway."

Akinen nodded to Rael, as the two of them began making their way to the Rogue guild.

******************

Rael sighed as he walked the platforms of Kelethin. Earlier that day, the platforms had been crowded with people scurrying about, but after nightfall, most Wood Elves were either asleep in bed, or at a tavern. Rael himself had just recently come back from a meeting with Zirok, the other Cutthroat Commander in the area. The meeting had gone poorly, and several people lost their tempers. No one was harmed, but several insults had been exchanged between Akinen and Zirok's second-in-command, and Rael and Akinen were forced to leave earlier than they had expected. Akinen was such a hot-headed young lad, and unfortunately, still working on keeping his mouth shut when things got tense.

This would be Rael's last day in Kelethin before he and Akinen returned to their Cutthroat companions. Rael wondered if he would ever come back to this place—his hometown, which he deserted so long ago.

Suddenly, he saw a figure walking towards him, and he squinted in the darkness to see who it was.

"Why—hey there, again, stranger—or, err, Rael, wasn't it?" he heard Lyrial's voice say as the girl came into view.

He smiled. "Hello there, Lady Lyrial!" he said, a bit surprised. "I didn't expect to see you out this time of night!"

"Ah, well I just got off work, so I'm heading home!" Lyrial said, cheerfully. "And you? What are you doing out at this time of night?"

"Saying my goodbyes to this interesting city," Rael replied.

"Oh? Then, you're leaving already?" Lyrial asked.

"I'm afraid so," Rael replied.

"Oh…well, then let me thank you again for that ruby! I'm much obliged to you!" Lyrial said, smiling gratefully.

"Speaking of that ruby, I see you didn't buy yourself a shawl with it," Rael said. "You didn't drink it away now, did you?" Rael asked. Secretly he knew that she had used it to pay on her debts, but he hoped but accusing her of drinking it away, he would learn more about this house she owned, and the orphans who lived in it.

"Drink it away?! I certainly did not _drink it away!_" she exclaimed indignantly.

"Oh? Then where's your shawl?" he asked.

She paused, glaring at him. "I used the ruby to erm…pay off some debts," she said.

"Debts? What kind of debts?" Rael said, prodding her to tell him more.

"Well, aren't you interested in other people's problems?" Lyrial said.

He smiled at her. "And who gave you that ruby? Don't you think I would want to know how it was used?"

"Hmm…I suppose so," Lyrial said. "Well then, I used it to pay off my _house_ debts, and I also used some of it to buy _food_," she said. "Does that settle your curiosity, Sir Rael?"

He smiled. "I heard you were keeping some orphans at your home," he said.

"Ah, did you, now?" Lyrial asked. "You sure know a lot about me, don't you?"

"There's a lot to learn about you, Lady Lyrial, and I'm sure I don't know half of it," Rael said, smiling.

"Oh? Well, I didn't realize my life was so interesting to other people!" Lyrial said.

"So it's true, then? You keep orphans at your home?" Rael asked.

"Yes, it's true," she said. "But this is only the beginning, Sir Rael! Right now I only have two orphans living with me, but someday…someday, I wish to have many more. I hope that someday, I will have a house full of orphans, all who came for food and shelter. I wish to turn my house into an orphanage.

"But, of course, I haven't reached that goal, yet. Though that ruby you gave me will help quite a bit!" Lyrial said.

"I see. And why is it you care about the orphans so much, Lady Lyrial?" Rael asked.

"Because I, myself, am an orphan, though more fortunate than many," Lyrial said. "My father died when I was five, and mother when I was seven. But fortunately, I had an uncle who took me in. I was twelve when my uncle died."

"My uncle was more wealthy then my family was, and he had been living in a rather large house for quite some time. When he died, I inherited his house, though I was only twelve at the time. Being a young orphan with no close kin to stay with, I was forced to beg for money on the streets, and there I learned how terrible it really was to be a beggar. It was during those years that I knew I wanted to make an orphanage for people like me. That's why I struggled to keep the house, though I kept getting further and further in debt.

"As soon as I was fourteen, as the law states, I was able to work. I began working all sorts of jobs, trying to keep the house. When I was seventeen, I began letting an orphan stay at the house, and another one when I was twenty-one.

"The townsfolk are kind people, but they think I'm foolish for what I do. It's true I've been trying to get the money to make an orphanage for thirteen years and thus far only take care of two orphans, but that won't make me give up. This is what I wish to do. I'm reaching for my goals. And I believe that I _will_ reach them," Lyrial said, staring off into the night sky. "I plan to keep my promises to you, Sir Rael," she smiled. 

"And now that I've shared with you my life story, may I inquire about you? Why would a stranger be so interested in a tavern girl and her tragic past? Last night, you said you were an orphan, as well. Is that why you're interested?" Lyrial asked.

Rael paused. "Yes, probably that is some of it," he said. "When I saw you give the shawl off your back to that little orphan boy on the street—it really touched me. That little boy was just like me," Rael said. 

He paused. "I approve of what you did with the ruby I gave you, Lady Lyrial."

"Well, that's good! I'm glad I have your approval," she said.

"In fact, after hearing your life story, as well as your dreams, I find myself eager for you dreams to be fulfilled," Rael said.

"Is that so? Well, I must say, I'm eager for my dreams to be fulfilled, as well!" Lyrial said cheerfully.

"Perhaps I can assist you, then," Rael said.

"Assist me? Aren't you leaving tomorrow?" Lyrial asked.

"Yes, I am, Lady Lyrial. But I will return. And when I do, I will bring something to help you in your quest…"

******************

Blue the Echidna: Aw! That was so sweet of him! :) How come some of the good, sugary guys are Cutthroats? Well anywho, I'm curious to know what more happens between these two! ^_^  
Amai's Reply: Lol, that is a very good question ^^ Well, as proved by Respitas, not _all_ the Cutthroats are good guys ^^ Respitas is, like, one of my ONLY actually MEAN characters ^^ The reason Rael and Akinen are both Cutthroats, yet are still nice guys, is because they actually aren't bad guys...they just made some bad decisions in their lives, and ended up as Cutthroats. Odd, but it can happen.


	7. Chapter 7: Escape the Mine

Author's Notes: Hey everyone!

Ok, so I drew this picture of Arelle, and I thought I'd let everyone see it...not that it's any good...in fact, it didn't turn out how I had hoped...but, it's still Arelle ^^ I actually can't put the link to it here in the fanfic, cause FF.net won't allow it, but if you want to see it, check out my bio ^^ the linky should be at the bottom.

Oh, and I know a few people besides Blue the Echidna and Aniviel _must_ be reading this fic (or at least, I _hope_...) so, please, leave a review, or email me! I would really appreciate it! Just a quick review would let me know that at least more than two people read Arelle ^.^;; Truly, any reviews I get really make my day ^^ Even if you're just a semi-fan of Arelle, or if you just read Arelle because you're bored and have nothing esle to do, please review Arelle! You don't even have to be a member...you can review anonymously. Pretty pleeeease?

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"I approve of what you did with the ruby I gave you, Lady Lyrial," Rael said. "In fact, after hearing your dreams, I find myself eager for you dreams to be fulfilled, and perhaps I can assist you," Rael said. 

"Assist me? Aren't you leaving?" Lyrial asked.

"Yes, I am, Lady Lyrial. But I will return. And when I do, I will bring something to help you in your quest…"

"…and that's the story of the Commander's treasure," Akinen ended his story. "I'm sure ye can guess the rest…the Commander left, as he had planned, but returned with his vast treasury, which he donated to the orphan girl Lyrial who was trying to start her own orphanage. They buried the treasure underneath a secret tree, where no one else knew of it, and there much of it remains there, for safe-keeping."

"I see..." Moren said. "This complicates things."

"Yes, it does," Lilliah said. "What will we do? We can't take the treasure from Lyrial…would Respitas be satisfied if we told him someone else had the treasure now?"

"I'm afraid not," Akinen said. "He would be mad. Very mad. And the worst thing about it would be—he would have no reason _not_ to kill Arelle."

"But there's no way we can give him the treasure that he wants! It belongs to someone else!" Moren exclaimed, upset.

"Respitas doesn't care," Akinen said. "Once he finds out we don't have what he wants, he'll kill the hostage. Respitas holds no value for human life. He kills without reason. But not only that, but he actually has a _reason_ to kill Arelle—he and I have a rather, err, conflicting past."

"What does that mean?" Moren asked.

"Well, Respitas was jealous of me ever since I joined the Cutthroats. The Commander took notice of me and always had me by his side, even though Respitas was his second-in-command at the time. Naturally, Respitas burned with anger towards me, and even tried to kill me. The Commander, after Respitas had attempted to kill me, punished Respitas by giving Respitas's rank to me. I became second-in-command, and Respitas became even more enraged at me. Even though I tried to patch things up a bit between us, he never accepted me. 

"That's how we parted when the Felwithien guards destroyed our band, and I'm sure Respitas wasn't all that happy to see that we both made it out. Killing my niece—or, companion, as he doesn't know we're related—would be the perfect revenge for him. I fear what he will do to Arelle—especially because we don't have her ransom."

Moren frowned. "What an awful situation…" he mumbled. "What if something happens to Arelle? Oh, I hope she'll be ok…"

"I fear for Arelle as well, but we must make plans," Lilliah said. "How are we going to save Arelle?"

The party fell in silence.

Suddenly, Akinen spoke up. "'Meet me in the place few else know of—you should know where I mean'… is what Respitas said. I know of the place he spoke of," Akinen said. "It was an old mine, made long, long ago by a group of outcast dwarves. The Cutthroats used it quite a bit, but they only knew of the main passageways. Only the Commander and a few else knew of all its secret passages. I knew them."

"Why are you saying this?" Moren asked.

"I know ways in to the mine that Respitas doesn't know of, Moren," Akinen said. "I know of passages to get to Arelle without Respitas knowing."

Moren paused, looking at Akinen. "We could rescue her."

"Yes," Akinen said. "We could rescue her."

**********************

Arelle awoke with a start, jerking up into an upright position. She squinted in the darkness, trying to make out her surroundings while her memories were coming back to her. 

Ah, yes. She had been kidnapped. Kidnapped by that troublesome Dark Elf Cutthroat, Respitas. But she hadn't been taken without a fight, she remembered.

**************************

Arelle bent at the river, filling her jar full of the clear water. She had promised Moren that she would return with some fresh water, and maybe that would clear their minds. With Respitas showing up again and Akinen's past finally catching up with him, everyone in the party was feeling gloomy recently. Even though Arelle had tried to pay attention, her magic lessons from Moren didn't seem to sink in. There had just been too much on her mind.

So, seeing how the lessons weren't going well, Arelle had offered to go to the stream and get some water for her and Moren. Moren had agreed, and now, here she was, scooping her jar into the water.

Suddenly, she heard something behind her. Before she could even turn around, she felt a thump on her head, and suddenly everything went black…

********************

When Arelle awoke again, she heard voices talking near her, and lay still to listen. It was Respitas and his Barbarian companion! Arelle quickly remembered what had happened—the Barbarian must have sneaked behind her and knocked her out, before she could even fight back. She listened to them talking and found out they were writing a ransom note for her. They were planning to kidnap her. How dare they!

Thinking over it quickly in her mind, she suddenly sprung up and started running. She heard hollers behind her, coming from the unsuspecting Cutthroats. She heard them cursing at her, but she ignored them, running as fast as she could, hoping that she could escape. 

Arelle listened to their footsteps, and she knew Respitas was gaining on her. Suddenly, she heard him draw his blade—he was right behind her now! Arelle drew her own blade, and just in time to block Respitas's blow.

A loud clang rang through the forest as their blades met. Arelle used all her force to hold back his blow, but he was so much stronger! She felt his blade pushing hers closer and closer to her, and she felt her arms giving way. She swiftly jumped back out of range of his sword, but he was quick, too, and before she knew it, he had his blade to her throat.

"Hold still there, m'lady, or you might lose your pretty little head," Respitas said. Arelle gulped, feeling the cold blade at her throat. She saw Respitas's Barbarian companion running up now.

"Horrathe, didn't I tell you to keep an eye on her?" Respitas asked the panting Barbarian, his blade unmoving from Arelle's throat.

"I'm sorry, Respitas! I was jus tryin to help ya with that note and all, and suddenly the girl just takes off, without warning!" the Barbarian, Horrathe, explained.

"And did you _expect_ her to give you a warning, Horrathe?" Respitas said, his voice tinged with frustration.

"Ahh, no. I was jus sayin that I—" Horrathe was cut off.

"Never mind, never mind! Come knock her out again, and this time we'll _bind_ her once she's unconcious!" Respitas said.

Arelle watched with fear as the Barbarian strode up to her, raising his huge fist to come down on her head. Arelle let out a piercing scream, hoping someone would hear…

***********************

But, unfortunately, no one had heard. Or if they had, they had apparently been too late to save her, for here Arelle sat, in some sort of underground cavern. She was captured.

Arelle searched the dark room for light, but there was none to be found except for the few beams of light coming in from beneath the door. Arelle stood up and carefully made her way to the door. The door was thick wood, and apparently locked from the other side. Arelle backed up and slammed herself into it, hoping to break it open. It was to no avail, however—the door was solid.

Arelle sighed as she leaned on the cold dirt wall. What kind of a place was this, anyway? Some kind of underground fortress? Arelle wondered if her party was worried about her. She wondered if they even knew she was captured! Had they found the note Respitas had written? Were they going to save her? When she was able to hear them writing the note before she tried to escape, she remembered that they were talking about ransoming her for the hidden treasure Akinen knew about. She wasn't surprised, really, since they had been so excited about the treasure. But she wondered…Akinen would give up the treasure for her life, wouldn't he? 

Suddenly, Arelle felt a sickness inside. She had been so mean to Akinen. She had called him a disgrace to the Mah'Alimahs. Would he give up all the treasure for her sake? Even after all the mean things she said to him, and the way she ignored him? She bit her lip. What if he wouldn't?

Suddenly, Arelle heard loud footsteps coming from past the door. Someone was coming! Arelle slid behind the door, listening as the footsteps stopped at her door. Suddenly, she saw the door creak open, casting a dim light into the room. Arelle hid behind the door, watching as he opened the door wider.

"Hey, girl, I have yer food. Respitas told me to give ya food once a day, so here it is…" he said, opening the door wider and searching for the form of the girl. Suddenly, Arelle slipped under his arm, through the door. 

She had escaped!

Running quickly, she heard the yells of the Barbarian as he strode behind her, his heavy feet thudding against the ground with every step. She quickly made her way down the dim passages, searching for a way out. She heard Horrathe's footsteps fading as she began to put distance between them, and she felt her heartbeat thudding in her chest.

Arelle gasped as she felt a swarm of bats fly around her, screeching as they caught in her hair and scratched her, but she continued running, for fear that Horrathe would catch up. Soon, she saw a light—not a light from another dim torch, but the sunlight! Her heart racing, she ran through the opening of the mine, shielding her eyes from the bright sunlight. Arelle's eyes burned in the sunlight, being accustomed to the darkness of the caverns, but she was so afraid Horrathe might catch up, that she stumbled along as fast as she could, falling over a rubble.

Suddenly, she felt herself run into something—not something hard, like a rock, but something warm. Looking up, her eyes began to adjust to the lighting, and she was beginning to make out the figure of a man. His dark blue skin, curved features, and white ponytail…it was Respitas.

Arelle gasped as she realized whom it was. Jumping back away from him, she stumbling on a stone, falling to the ground. As she looked up, she saw behind Respitas stood other figures.

Respitas had a squad of Cutthroats behind him.

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Blue the Echidna: Yea its true about the bad decisions thing. She has quite a story! How do you come up with all of this? You're so good! ^_^ Can't wait for more. Rael is such a sweety. :)  
**Amai's Reply: **Aww, I'm flattered! ^^ I don't know how I come up with all this, actually ^.^;; It just...comes to me. And, of course, tragic pasts are my speciality ^^

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Aniviel Freespirit: Sorry i didnt review last chappy i didnt have time to go online. This chappys good that guy is really nice :) Wonder what Respitas is gonna do when he finds out.  
**Amai's Reply:** Hey, it's ok that you didn't review last chapter! I'm just thankful that you're trying ^^ You guys are sooo sweet! *sniffle* ^^ Hmm, it seemes Rael is pretty popular ^^


	8. Chapter 8: The Rescue

Author's Notes: Hey all! Sorry for asking for reviews in my last Author's Notes—as my proofreader Tess pointed out, it sounded suspiciously like I was begging for reviews…which, ya know, I kinda was…^.^;;; But anyway, thank you to the people who did give me feedback! Thanks to Kim, who emailed me, and Pizza Pizza who reviewed, and of course, thank you to Aniviel and Blue the Echidna, as well, because they just rock all the time! ^.^

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Moren scanned the wall of the mine that he, Akinen, and Lilliah stood before. Certainly, it was the same mine he had found before while trying to find Arelle. It looked exactly the same, except that it lacked the huge entranceway blocked up by boulders. In fact, Moren didn't see any entrance or way to enter the mine at all on this side of the hill.

Moren looked at Akinen, who was looking up the side of the mine. "Well?" Moren asked quietly.

"Well' what, lad?" said Akinen.

"Well where's the 'hidden entrance' you talked about?" Moren asked. "I don't see it…"

"That because it's hidden, lad," Akinen said plainly, grinning slightly.

"Well, then point it out to me!" Moren said, pretending to be agitated.

"It's right there," Akinen said, pointing to a small crevice between the rocks.

"That up there?" Moren asked, looking up the wall.

"How do we get up to it, Akinen?" Lilliah asked, joining the conversation.

"You climb up to it, lass," Akinen said. "It's a bit of a tight squeeze once you get up to it, but it's a way through. Here, I'll go up first."

Akinen walked up to the edge of the mine and began to climb, but before he had even taken a step onto the cliff, he heard a twig break nearby. Akinen, Moren, and Lilliah glanced about quickly.

Suddenly a dark form came out of the bushes and charged towards Akinen. Akinen drew his sword, and within seconds the sound of steel hitting steel was heard as Akinen blocked the dark form's attack. Suddenly, the form backed away, and his face became visible.

"Drahkin!" Akinen exclaimed in surprise.

"_Akinen_?" Drahkin's expression matched Akinen's. "My apologies! I mistook you for…someone else…" Drahkin said, sheathing his sword.

Akinen eyed him, still a bit suspicious, but mostly just surprised. "What are _you_ doing here?" Akinen asked.

"I could ask the same of you!" Drahkin exclaimed. "I see you have your whole party here…wait, where's Arelle?" Drahkin asked, looking around and seeing only Moren and Lilliah.

Moren frowned.

"What? What's wrong?" Drahkin asked. "Nothing has happened to Arelle, has it?" Drahkin asked, nervousness showing through his voice.

"Arelle has been kidnapped," Moren said bitterly.

Drahkin's eyes went wide. "Kidnapped? When? By whom?"

"A Cutthroat wanting revenge. His name's Respitas," Moren said.

"Respitas? Are you serious?" Drahkin asked. "That's my bounty!"

"What?" Lilliah asked. "Respitas is your bounty?"

"Yes! That's why I'm here…I'm after Respitas the Cutthroat," Drahkin said. "I tracked him to this mine, but I couldn't seem to find a way _in_. So I started circling the mine to see if I could find a way inside, and I saw your party. Forgive me, for I did not see who you were and suspected you were Respitas and his party, so I attacked you."

"I see," said Lilliah.

"And now I must inquire what you might be doing here?" Drahkin asked.

"Trying to rescue Arelle, of course," Moren said.

"I mean, why are you all staring at this side of the mine? I don't see an entrance anywhere here…" Drahkin said.

"It's just a crevice we can slip through, but it's a way inside, lad," Akinen said.

"Oh? A crevice?" Drahkin asked, scanning the wall.

Moren pointed it out to him.

"Ah, I think I see it…And it goes all the way through? To the other side?" Drahkin asked.

Akinen nodded.

"I see," Drahkin said. "Well then…I…I wonder if I might help you rescue Arelle."

Moren looked up at him.

"I mean…I'm after Respitas's bounty anyway, so, since we're after the same thing, wouldn't it be a good idea to team up?" Drahkin asked.

Moren, Akinen, and Lilliah exchanged glances.

"The lad has a point," Akinen said.

"It sounds fine to me…I think we can trust him, don't you?" Lilliah asked.

"He did take an oath never to harm any of us, swearing in the name of his sister," Moren said.

Akinen turned to Drahkin. "Well, lad, since we have a common goal, I don't see any reason why we should _not _team up," Akinen said. "And we don't really know how many Cutthroats are in there. So…Welcome to the party," Akinen said, outstretching his hand to Drahkin.

************************

Akinen, Drahkin, Moren, and Lilliah had little trouble getting through the crevice in the side of the mine. Lilliah was the last to enter the murky dark mine. As she edged into the darkness she felt shivers run up her spine as she touched something warm with her hand. Suddenly a bat flew above her head, screeching off through the mine, and Lilliah bit her lip. This is not where she wanted to be. She was a Barbarian, used to the chilly wind and freezing plains of ice. Damp, enclosed spaces weren't to her liking. Still, Arelle was in danger, and there was no way Lilliah would let the rest of the party go on without her. This was no time for thinking about Halas. She jumped down onto the stone with the others

"Lass? Are you ok?" Akinen asked.

Lilliah looked up and saw Akinen watching her, concerned. She nodded and smiled a half smile.

Lilliah heard Drahkin rummaging in his small pack. Suddenly, he pulled out a torch.

"Here we go!" he exclaimed. "Now, just to find something to light it with…" he trailed off, digging through his bag again.

Lilliah muttered a few words, closing her eyes, and suddenly the torch was set aflame.

Drahkin glanced at her and smiled. "Thank you, Lady Shaman," Drahkin said. "I guess I don't need matches while you're around," he smiled.

She smiled back.

"All right then, let's go now," Akinen said suddenly, beginning to walk down the narrow passageway by light of the dim torch.

*********************

"We're coming up on it now," Akinen said, looking back at the rest of the party who were following him down the maze-like passages.

"Coming up on what?" Moren asked.

"The main room," Akinen said. "I have a feeling that's where Respitas will be keeping Arelle. It was the Cutthroats' most commonly-used room."

"Shouldn't we have some sort of plan?" Lilliah asked. "How are we going to free Arelle once we get to her?"

"It depends on the situation, lass," Akinen said. "We don't know if she has lots of Cutthroats guarding her, if she's just tied up, if she's locked in some sort of dungeon or jail…it really just depends. We'll think of something when we get there."

"Well, it looked like all Respitas had with him was that Barbarian, right?" Lilliah said.

"Yes, but he could have called for more Cutthroats," Akinen said. "Other Cutthroats will follow him anywhere if he promises them a share of the treasure. Hopefully, though, he didn't have _time_ to call for more Cutthroats. But if he did call for more…I just hope not many came," Akinen said.

"Oh, here, we're coming up on it," Akinen stopped and looked back at them and whispered. "Now, be quiet…We want to avoid fighting them, if we can. We just want to rescue Arelle. Sneak in, and sneak out."

Everyone nodded and followed quietly as Akinen led them down the passage, after Akinen had dimmed the torch so that all that it let out was a dim glow. Suddenly, the passage stopped before them, and they stared into a large, dark room.

Moren glanced about the dark room—it was large, that was for sure, but he couldn't tell _how_ large it was because of the pitch black. Moren strained his eyes, looking over the vast room. It looked as if dark forms were moving restlessly on the ground inside, but it was too dark to make out much of anything…

Suddenly, the room lit up in a blaze of flame. The party gasped and looked on in horror as they saw at least a hundred Cutthroats filling the room, all with torches and weapons drawn, scowling and grinning evilly.

Suddenly, a voice rung through the room.

"Ah, so you've arrived—Aka the Scarlet Cutthroat."

Akinen looked at the figure and gasped.

"Respitas!" Akinen exclaimed, horrified.

"You seem surprised, old friend!" Respitas said grinning widely. "I didn't expect you so early…but no matter. At least I had a proper greeting awaiting you," Respitas smiled.

**************************

**Aniviel Freespirit:** Uh oh Arelles in trouble now...i hope Akinen, moren and lillah rescue her soon, or at least before Respitas finds out about the treasure  
**Amai's Reply:** Hehe, now Akinen, Moren, and Lilliah have a whole LOT more trouble to deal with ^.^ Ah, how the plot thickens…^^

**Blue the Echidna:** Ah she had almost made it! Wonder what Respitas needs the Cutthroat squad for... hmm. I hope the others can still rescue her.  
**Amai's Reply:** Yes, she _almost_ made it out…but not quite ^.^ And now you see why he needs the squad of Cutthroats…to make more trouble for Akinen, Moren, Lilliah and Arelle, of course! ^.~ Thanks for the review!

**Pizza Pizza:** It's good and well written. I like it just for the writing. But it's G rated so there's not much action. Just kinda like a Disney movie you know :P

Keep writing :)  
**Amai's Reply:** Yay! Thanks for your review ^.^ Hmm, yes, I agree with you on the "not much action" thing. Because it's G-rated, I can't really put anything more in. Not that I'm complaining—that's the way I like to keep it. That's how my writing style is. But I respect you for giving your true opinions ;) Thank you so much for saying you liked the writing, though! It means a lot to whenever someone tells me they like Arelle ^.^ Thank you for your review!


	9. Chapter 9: The Cage

Author's Notes: Hey hey! Just thought I'd let you all know that I will be on vacation next two weeks, so I won't be able to update Arelle. I'm going to my very first Anime Convention, Anime Central ~.^ I'm so excited! Well, I just thought I'd let you know and all. No more updates for two weeks. But the schedule resume as soon as I get back, k? Thanks for reaidng Arelle!

**************************

**_ Last time on Arelle…_**

Suddenly, the room lit up in a blaze of flame. The party gasped and looked on in horror as they saw at least a hundred Cutthroats filling the room, all with torches and weapons drawn, grinning evilly.

"Ah, so you've arrived—Aka the Scarlet Cutthroat."

"Respitas!" Akinen exclaimed, horrified.

"You seem surprised, old friend!" Respitas said grinning widely. "I didn't expect you so early…but no matter. At least I had a proper greeting awaiting you," Respitas smiled.

"Respitas, stop this madness!" Akinen said. "Ye kidnapped Arelle, then ye try to kill me and my companions? We were once friends and companions! Has your greed really blinded ye so?"

"Companions?" Respitas snarled, "_Friends_? You know well enough, Aka the Scarlet Cutthroat, that I hated you from the day you arrived at the Cutthroats. I tried to get rid of you in every way I could think of, and continually plotted your demise. Our relationship, Aka the Scarlet Cutthroat, is _far _from _friendship_!"

"I was willing to be yer companion, Respitas! I never held a grudge against _you_," Akinen said.

"Yes, you are right, Aka," Respitas said. "And that's another one of our differences. You were always trying to be companions, when it was obvious we were destined to be rivals!" 

At this, Respitas charged Akinen, sword drawn. Akinen blocked the attack with his sword, watching Respitas's expression change to an angry scowl.

"ATTACK!" Respitas yelled to the Cutthroats. Suddenly the party backed up as they saw the crowd of Cutthroats coming towards them. Drahkin and Lilliah glanced at each other and nodded before taking fighting stances. Drahkin drew his sword, and Lilliah began casting a spell, while Respitas charged Akinen again.

Moren was searching for any trace of Arelle. How could he find her in this huge room of Cutthroats, if she was even in this room at all? Suddenly, he caught sight of something hanging from the ceiling, somewhere close to the middle of the huge room. It appeared to be a huge, gray cage.

Moren squinted, looking hard. Yes, it was a cage. And it looked like Arelle was in it, too. Suddenly, he saw one of the Cutthroats jabbing his spear at her through the bars of the cage. Moren's anger overcame him as he saw Arelle avoiding the spear that he thrust at her, and he began running to towards the cage, through the crowd of Cutthroats.

Moren used his sword to wildly cut through the crowd, making his way to Arelle. He yelled in fury, and those in his way either moved or were cut down quickly in Moren's rage. Moren's eyes rarely left the cage that held Arelle as he made his way through the room full of Cutthroats.

In the cage, Arelle was dodging the attacks of the Cutthroat as he thrust his spear at her from below. The cage was made completely of iron bars, so it was pretty easy for someone tall enough to reach the cage to fit his spear through the holes in the bottom. The reason Respitas had ordered to raise the cage holding Arelle in the first place was because the Cutthroats kept trying to kill her by sticking swords through the bars and slashing at her, and Respitas needed her alive for ransom. Never before had Arelle known of people who wished to kill just for the pleasure of it. Just the thought of it made her shiver. 

Arelle glanced around the cave at her companions as they fought off the Cutthroats before she leapt to the other side of the cage to avoid another jab from the Cutthroat below. Being up high, she had a good view of what was happening below, and she grieved for her companions. They were facing a hundred Cutthroats for her sake!

More than ever, this incident had made Arelle wish she could use magic. She had a basic understanding of magic now, thanks to Moren, but Moren had never actually taught her any spells, or ways to manipulate the flow to do the things she wanted, such as healing or fire spells. Basically, she was useless against her Cutthroat captors. How Arelle wished to be a Spell-caster like Moren or Lilliah!

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Moren making his way through the Cutthroat crowds, heading straight for her cage. She was surprised—he cut down men without a second thought. He was in a blind fury. Arelle had never seen Moren like this, and it made a shiver run up her spine when she saw the expression on his face. She was distracted from her thoughts, however, by another jab from the Cutthroat below, which she nimbly avoided.

Meanwhile, Lilliah and Drahkin were still facing off against the crowds of Cutthroats. Fortunately, most of the Cutthroats weren't that tough—they were much less skilled than Lilliah or Drahkin, and none of them appeared to be Casters.

Before the battle had even really begun, Lilliah had cast a spell on the crowds of Cutthroats that made their movements slowed down. The spell only effected about thirty of them, but it still helped a lot. After the slowing spell, Lilliah began casting fire spells, and the Cutthroats were horrified when they felt the flames wrap around their feet and spread up to their bodies, scorching them.

Meanwhile, Drahkin had his huge sword drawn and was making quick work of the Cutthroats around him. With one swing of his huge sword, he could fell two or three at a time, and few could get near enough to hit him because of his swiftness.

But while they were doing well against the crowd of Cutthroats considering how many there were of them…In reality, they were losing. There were just too many Cutthroats! The archers were the worst, shooting Lilliah and Drahkin from a distance, and as the battle waged on, they became surrounded completely by Cutthroats, which made it harder to defend themselves.

"Where's Moren?" Lilliah cried to Drahkin, as she let loose another fire spell.

"I don't know! He ran off before the battle even started—probably to find Arelle!" Drahkin said, slicing a man with his sword.

"I hope he saves her…" Lilliah muttered.

Arelle watched as Moren came closer and closer to the cage, chopping down any in his path. Her heart beat inside her chest—soon she would be free from these Cutthroats!

"Moren…" she sighed, and then jerked as she saw a huge Ogre attack Moren. The Ogre's heavy club came down on an unsuspecting Moren, and Moren barely slipped out of the way enough to only be brushed by the side of it. Moren quickly jumped away from the Ogre and ran on, leaving the Ogre trotting after him.

Arelle watched worriedly, jerking whenever a Cutthroat hit, or almost hit, Moren. Suddenly, the spear came from below Arelle again, jabbing an unsuspecting Arelle in the foot. Arelle gasped in pain as she toppled over, blood spurting from her injury. She saw the Cutthroat below her grin as he prepared to jab at her again—this time, though, she would be less able to dodge, with her foot injured. His thrust was fast, and Arelle barely managed to roll out of the way, seeing the spear come up within inches of her stomach. She heard him chuckling evilly beneath her, and she gulped, preparing to try to roll out of the way again, but knowing that she had little chance of avoiding him for long.

Squinting in pain, she watched as he prepared to stab at her again. Fast came his spear, and Arelle rolled over quickly, trying to avoid his spear again. But the spear never came through the bars.

Arelle looked down to see why he had stopped in the middle of his attack. Below her, she saw Moren standing on the body of the Cutthroat that had been attacking her, pulling his sword out of the Cutthroat's back.

"Moren!" Arelle exclaimed, astonished.

He looked up at her, the rage in his eyes leaving now.

"Arelle!" he replied. 

Suddenly, Arelle saw behind Moren the Ogre he had barely managed to escape. It had caught up with him!

Arelle gasped as she saw the Ogre raise his club, preparing to smash the unsuspecting Moren.

"Moren! Look out!" Arelle cried. Moren turned just in time to see the Ogre's club coming down on him…

*********************

Well, as I said in my Author's Notes above, I will be on vacation for the next two weeks, which means no more updates till I get back. I'm really sorry about leaving you at such a cliffhanger--really, I am!--but I can assure you that Moren does _not_ die. Just so you know and all. Sorry! Please don't hate me! .

**Blue the Echidna: **Wow! Thats a lot of cutthroats! Hope everyone makes it out. Drahkin has returned, Yay! Impatiently waiting for the next chapter. :)  
**Amai's Reply: **It is a lot of Cutthroats, isn't it? When my proof-reader, Tess, read it, she was like, "Goodness that's a lot of Cuthroats! ...Are you sure they can handle that many?..." ^.^ And yes, Yay! indeed, for Drahkin has returned. Yet you still don't get to find out about his past yet! Yay for mysterious bounty hunters with troubled pasts!

**Aniviel Freespirit:** Whoa too many cutthroats! I was wondering when Drahkin was coming back hope he gets Respitas. :) Waiting for next chappy!  
**Amai's Reply: **Yes, Drahkin's been out of the fanfic for quite some time now. It's nice having him back, I guess ^.^ Thanks for the review!


	10. Chapter 10: Poison Daggers

Author's Notes: Hey everyone! Well, I'm back from my vacation! It was great. The anime connvention was a blast! I can't wait to go to my next one. Being my first anime con, I did some things I'd do differently next time, but it was fun as it was, and I learned a lot. My next anime convention will be even better! Plus I got lots of nifty souveniers ^.^

Sorry to leave you guys hanging like that, when I was going to be gone for so long! It's actually kind of cool, though...I got more reviews on that chapter, saying how evil I was for leaving that cliffhanger, than I have for any other chapter! Maybe I should go on vacation and leave terrbile cliffhangers for the readers more often ^.^

Actually, though, I am glad I got to go on that vacation. Honestly, I was getting tired of Arelle, and because every week I had to stress myself out thinking of what was going to happen in the next chapter, I never got the chance to look ahead and plan for future chapters and plotlines. Well, this vacation gave me a chance to do that. And it also refreshed me, from Arelle and just life in general. And school. Icky. 

So, I'm back. I'm ready to write. I'm seeing good things for Arelle. 

Updates will resume as usual, on Thursday. Love you all!

*******************

Akinen wiped his sweaty brow with the back of hand, still clutching his sword in his hand tightly. His gaze turned again to Respitas, who was standing by him, a scowl on his face.

"This battle is meaningless. We need not fight each other!" Akinen exclaimed.

Respitas glared at him, charging him again, and making a quick strike at Akinen's chest. Akinen avoided the attack by quickly ducking, and, seeing an opening as he came up from his dodge, he hit Respitas in the face with his iron gauntlet.

Respitas jumped back, holding his face where Akinen had bruised it. He scowled at Akinen. "You taunt me, Akinen?" he spat. "You could've killed me there, but you chose to hit me with your gauntlet instead?"

"I do not taunt ye, Respitas!" Akinen said. "I merely wish to end this battle without either of us dying."

"You have grown far too soft, Aka the Scarlet Cutthroat," Respitas spat. "To think you were once second-in-command of our Cutthroat clan. It sickens me." 

"Will ye never change, Respitas? Don't ye see there's more to life than killing?" Akinen pleaded.

"Enough! I don't want to hear your sickly-sweet words!" Respitas said. "There _is _more to life than killing. There is power. There is money. But in order to get these things, first you must kill. And kill I have always, and kill I always will. And those who talk of goodness or love—they'll be the first to die," Respitas said, charging Akinen.

****************

Lilliah closed her eyes and mouthed the words to her spell, at which all the Cutthroats by her suddenly slowed down, as if in slow motion. She gasped, wiping the sweat from her brow and preparing to whack the nearest Cutthroat with her sword.

With the slow spell cast on the Cutthroats around her, Lilliah didn't have as much trouble with them all attacking her at once. When more than a few _did_ get on her at a time, since their movements were so slow, she didn't have much trouble making quick work of them. The problem was, she was 

exhausted. Her mana was running out, and not being quite as skilled in the sword as in magic, her body was weary of fighting, as well.

Lilliah swung her sword at the nearest Cutthroat, hitting him in the chest, but as she did she was pierced in the back by another Cutthroat. Lilliah crumpled to the ground in surprise. It wasn't a really bad hit, but she hadn't expected it. The Cutthroat that hit her hadn't been affected by her spell—he must have come from further away, where her spell hadn't reached. His movements were fast, and she barely got out of the way of his next strike, rolling on the ground to avoid his strike.

She leapt to her feet just in time to evade an attack from behind her. Dodging it just in time, she was alarmed to see yet a third Cutthroat slashing at her, and she gulped, falling onto her stomach on the ground to avoid the attack. Only too late did she see her mistake—to the Cutthroat behind her, she was now an easy target.

Lilliah cringed as she saw his sword coming towards her and she struggled to roll away, but she knew she couldn't make it in time. Lilliah closed her eyes tight, dreading his next blow.

Suddenly, the Cutthroat in front of her was whacked in the side by a huge sword, sending it back a distance. Lilliah looked up to see Drahkin looking down at her, sweat pouring down his face, panting heavily.

"M'lady?"

"Drahkin!" Lilliah jumped up to greet him, but before she could, she saw another Cutthroat about to hit her. Raising her sword, she hit him in the chest.

Lilliah looked at Drahkin, who was swinging at another Cutthroat.

"We should stay together," Drahkin said. "It'll be easier to hold them off."

Lilliah nodded. "Good idea! We can fight them back-to-back!"

Drahkin nodded before swinging at another Cutthroat…

***********************

Arelle gasped as she saw the Ogre behind Moren raise his club, preparing to smash the unsuspecting Moren.

"Moren! Look out!" Arelle cried. Moren turned just in time to see the ogre's club coming down on him. Swiftly, Moren jumped forward, sliding between the ogre's legs. Jumping upright once behind the ogre, Moren grabbed hold of the armor on the ogre's back and began to climb up him.

As soon as the ogre felt Moren crawling up his back, he became enraged and began thrashing around, trying to shake Moren loose. Moren held on tightly, slowly making his way up the ogre's back, and then onto his shoulders. At this height, he was about eye-level with the bottom of Arelle's cage.

"Moren!" Arelle cried, panicking as she saw Moren being thrashed about on the ogre's back.

Moren looked up at Arelle. Taking a deep breath and gathering his courage, he jumped from the ogre's shoulders to the cage, grabbing onto the bars with his arms, and trying to swing himself up. Arelle helped him by taking his arm and pulling him up, and soon Moren was nearly upright, clutching to the outside of the cage.

As soon as the ogre saw what had happened, he was enraged. Moren was now on the other side of the cage, so the ogre swatted the cage, making both Moren and Arelle clutch to the bars for security. Moren knew he had to work fast.

Closing his eyes briefly, he cast a simple Burn spell on the thick rope holding the cage up. It began burning right away, and Moren quickly cast a Fire spell on the lock of the cage, breaking the door open. Arelle swung the door open and clung to the outside of the cage by Moren, all the while the ogre was thrashing the cage about, making the already singeing ropes give way completely.

Moren grabbed Arelle as they jumped off the falling cage. The cage fell directly on the unexpecting ogre, smashing him. Meanwhile, Moren landed with a loud thump on his back, protecting Arelle by keeping her above him, to cushion her impact.

Arelle jumped up as soon as they fell, only slightly jarred by the high fall. But she gasped as she saw Moren, eyes closed, blood gushing from a wound on the back of his head where he had landed on a jagged rock.

"Moren!" Arelle exclaimed, horrified.

Moren opened his eyes. "I kept my promise…you're finally safe…" Moren mumbled.

"Moren! You're wounded!" Arelle exclaimed. "You've got to heal youreslf! I don't know how!"

Moren squinted his eyes in pain. "I don't think…I can…" he said as his eyes closed.

"Moren! Wait!" Arelle cried, grabbing his hand. "Don't die, Moren!"

Moren lay still and unmoving, and Arelle could see he was paling. Arelle bit her lip, concentrating in her mind.

"I'm not letting you go, Moren. I'm not letting you go," Arelle said, eyes shut tightly.

Suddenly, everything around her began to give off a glow. She was feeling the Flow. Arelle looked down at Moren, and could see his bright flow fading. She saw the wound on the back of his head, and touched it lightly, concentrating.

"This is what I do…right? Just concentrate on the area of the flow I want to manipulate…?" Arelle focused on the wound, and it became clear in her mind. Arelle touched the wound, feeling it in her mind more than in her touch. Suddenly, the flow began to change. It glowed with a warmth…a deep warmth. She was healing Moren's head. The wound on his head no longer disrupted Moren's flow. The unstable flow became serene and calm. The flow was calm.

Arelle opened her eyes and stopped concentrating. She saw Moren opening his own eyes, looking up at her.

"Moren…" Arelle said, tears running down her cheeks.

"Heh…" he chuckled, "and here I had come save _you_!" he said. "It turned out, you saved _me_." 

"I couldn't have done it without your training, of course," Arelle said, watching him sit up slowly.

"I'm still a little sore, but that was a good heal. Especially considering it was your first!" Moren said.

Arelle smiled. "Everything felt…right. Everything was flowing perfectly. I knew what I was doing, Moren. I could feel how right it felt…" Arelle said.

"Maybe you were born to be a Cleric!" Moren smiled, standing up. "In any case, we better hurry over and help Akinen, Drahkin and Lilliah. In my blindness to help you, I left them to fend off the other Cutthroats. I'm glad I saved you, but I am sorry for leaving them alone to face so many Cutthroats!" Moren said.

"Well, let's hurry, then!" Arelle said as they took off towards where the others were.

**********************

Akinen jumped out of the way as he saw Respitas swing his sword at him. Respitas burned in fury.

"Why won't you just die, Aka the Scarlet Cutthroat?!" Respitas exclaimed.

Akinen looked at Respitas with pity. Akinen knew once he was almost like Respitas—he didn't know about anything but thievery and killing. Or at least, what good he knew, he kept hidden and unused. Respitas was worse than he was, though, and would probably live until his dying day just the way he was now.

"Stop that!" Respitas spat.

Akinen looked up at him, surprised. "Stop what?"

"Stop looking at me with pity!" Respitas said. "I certainly don't need it from _you_!"

Akinen said nothing.

"You always were like that, weren't you? Always better than all of us, always needing to help others," Respitas said. "The Commander's favorite," Respitas said bitterly.

"Are you still bitter about me becoming second-in-command, Respitas?" Akinen asked.

Respitas stared at him hard. "You took that from me, Aka! You took that position from me! The thing that mattered to me most, you took away!" Respitas said. "_I_ was the Second-in-Command. _I_ was the Commander's right hand. Until _you_ came along.

"How do you think it felt, Aka? To have what you hold dearest, taken away and given to some new guy, someone who hasn't been part of the group for _half_ as long? How do you think that made me feel about _you_, Aka?"

Akinen said nothing.

Respitas snarled at him, raising his sword to attack again. "I will kill you, Aka the Scarlet Cutthroat, or I will die trying. Too bad the Commander isn't here to save you from me this time!" Respitas said as he slashed at Akinen.

Akinen dodged the attack and used his leg to trip Respitas, who fell on the ground on his face. Respitas jumped up again, his eyes burning with anger. He looked down at his sword and tossed it aside.

Akinen looked at him confused. "Are you giving up?" Akinen asked in disbelief.

Respitas drew two daggers, one in each hand. "You know, I've come across a few unusual items since I joined the Cutthroats," Respitas said, eyeing the blades. "Some of the items I kept in secret. In case I ever needed them.

"These two particular blades are somewhat interesting…" Respitas said. "They're poisoned. But it's not a normal poison. It's such a deadly, quick working poison. One nick and you're sick for weeks. Getting slashed by these could be, well, fatal," Respitas smiled. "And getting slashed over and over again would be most certainly, very fatal!" Respitas said, running towards Akinen.

Akinen, surprised, tried to jump back, but tripped on a stone and fell backwards. Akinen winced as Respitas's daggers slashed open his chest…

**********************

Oh, and I forgot to mention in my author's notes, but I'm making a personal website, and it currently has a large section for Arelle stuff. I put a Arelle poll up there, and I was thinking you all could go vote on it if you want to. The poll question is, "Who's your favorite male character in Arelle?". I wonder how many votes I'll get...heh... Well, the link to it is at the bottom of my bio, so check it out if you have time! And vote!

Time to reply to reviews....

Aniviel Freespirit: Gah! nasty nasty cliffy and just before your holiday to! Great chappy anyway, is Arelle going to manage her magic?? Have a good holiday!  
Amai's Reply: Indeed, it was a nasty...cliffy. ^.^ Apparently Arelle is learning to manage her magic now...cool, ne? Can't wait till she becomes a full Caster. And marries Moren ^.^ Thanks for the comment!

Rose Red: Wow... nice cliffhanger right before vacation. Have a safe holiday, but don't forget to come back and continue...before we die of anticipation.  
Amai's Reply: Haha! I'm sure you made it for two weeks without Arelle ^.^ Though that was a bad cliffhanger. Sorry! At least you can read it now. And see---he didn't even get hit! Moren's too cool to die, anyway ^.^

Blue the Echidna:*scratches her head* Well I hope you have fun at the convention. ^_^ I never knew Moren could fight like that. O.o Anywho, I'll still be waiting around here when you get back. :)  
Amai's Reply: Normally, Moren _can't_ fight like that. Only when Arelle's in danger, apparently. Moren has trouble when he get's enraged. He looses his sense and gets to absorbed in acomplishing his goal, which is usually to save Arelle. Thanks for sticking with Arelle, even through the nasty cliffhangers! Thanks for the comment!

ow my brain: do you know how EVIL ur being? 'o lets all leave the worst cliffhanger in the story for when we have a two week holiday! o yes wont that be funny!' gr...=P  
Amai's Reply: *cringes* Yes, I know it was evil of me. Forgive me! I'm back now though! See, see? And see, Moren's quite alive! Thanks for sticking with Arelle, even through all my horrible, horrible cliff hangers! Thanks for the review ^.^


	11. Chapter 11: Death

****************NOTE**********************

NOTE: Ok, I missed my update last Thursday (12th). I know I promised I would write it ahead of time and have my proofreader, Tess, post it for me while I was gone, but I never got the next chapter written. I'm sorry! I honestly tried to get it done before I left, but I left sooner than I expected, and the time slot I had made for writing Arelle was used up when I had to pack my suit case earlier than expected and leave. Updates will resume next Thursday (19th). I'm really sorry. I'm thankful to all of you who stick through all my missed updates ^.^ Thank you to everyone who reads Arelle!

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Author's Notes: Hey everyone! I've been having trouble connetction to the net nearly all week, but fortunately we got it fixed in time to update ^.^ Well, it appears that no one atually voted on my Arelle poll last time, so, just in case you missed that Author's Notes, I have a section devoted to Arelle on my website, and it has a poll on who your favorite male character is. The link to it is in my bio, so all you have to do is click on the author name "Amai no Tenshi" above this fanfic. It'd be great if a few people would vote. I'd love to see who everyone's fav characters were ^.^

Oh, and also, I'm going on another vacation this week. But don't worry--I'm going to write up the next chapter, and Tess, my proofreader, will post it next Thursday for me. Thank you Tess! So, see, you won't even miss an update. This week I'm going to Florida with my friend Reiko, aka Lay-sama (you can check her out in my "favorite authors" if you want). It's gonna be great! And you all will be plenty happy, cause you'll have the upate just as before, right? ^.^ Except, of course, I won't be able to reply to comments on the previous chapter, since I'll be gone. Oh well. See you when I get back!

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Arelle and Moren soon found that it was difficult to get through the Cutthroats to get to Akinen and the others. On the way to the cage where Arelle was captured, Moren had gained extra strength through his determination to save Arelle, but now he found it more difficult to make his way through the vast crowds of Cutthroats.

Moren blocked an attack aimed at Arelle and pushed the Cutthroat to the ground, but just as he did so, another Cutthroat attacked him.

"This is no good!" Moren said. "We must do something…"

Arelle blocked an attack coming at her. She knew they were completely surrounded, and she was very worried.

Suddenly Moren stopped, his eyes shut. "Burst of Light!"

Suddenly, the area around Moren and Arelle burst with light, and the Cutthroats around them shaded their eyes from the glare. Moren nodded at Arelle, and they took off towards Akinen, Lilliah, and Drahkin, while the Cutthroats were still stalled.

Soon enough, Arelle and Moren were in sight of Lilliah and Drahkin. It looked like Lilliah and Drahkin were having a hard time, and were both wounded.

"There they are!" Moren exclaimed, pointing at Lilliah and Drahkin. "I've got to go help them! They need a heal!" he said, running towards them quickly. 

Arelle bit her lip. She saw Lilliah and Drahkin, but where was Akinen? She scanned the mine for him, but he was no where to be found. Suddenly, she caught sight of Respitas, daggers outstretched. It looked like he was about to attack someone, and Arelle feared she knew whom it might be.

Arelle ran as quickly as she could to where Respitas was, but she was too slow—she watched in horror as she saw Respitas slice his daggers across Akinen's chest…

Akinen winced as he felt Respitas's daggers hit him in the chest, but managed to jump back after gaining his balance.

Akinen held his chest where Respitas had sliced it. It was already beginning to pour out blood, but not only that, but Akinen was beginning to feel a bit faint. Respitas wasn't lying—those blades were definitely poisoned. And it must have been some poison, to begin working that fast!

Akinen winced as he saw Respitas smiling evily at him.

"What's the matter, Aka the Scarlet Cutthroat?" Respitas taunted. "Surely the Second-in-Command of the Cutthroat army could do better than this!"

Akinen merely winced in reply.

"Well then, it looks like the Scarlet Cutthroat has finally met his fate," Respitas said, charging Akinen again.

Akinen took up a defensive stance as best he could, but suddenly felt faint from the poison, and his knees gave out, bringing him crashing to the ground. He cringed in pain as he saw Respitas's daggers coming towards his throat.

Suddenly, Respitas let out a yell as he burst into flames. Dropping his daggers and falling to the ground and rolling, attempting to put the flames out, he searched for the one who had cast a fire spell on him, and spotted Arelle, panting hard, with a determined look in her eyes.

"This time, I _meant_ to do that," she smiled at him.

Respitas got up off the ground, having extinguished the flames, and watched as Arelle ran to Akinen's side.

"Why you!" Respitas exclaimed angrily. "I wish I had killed you while I had you captured, girl!"

Arelle ignored Respitas as she tried to see what was wrong with Akinen—he was nearly unconscious, but why? Was it blood loss? He was sweaty and shivering, his eyes slowly drifting close.

"Akinen, hang in there!" Arelle exclaimed, holding his head upright, his body limp.

Respitas's expression suddenly changed, and he chuckled. "It's a shame, isn't it?" he said. "You arrived just a little too late. Well, there's no saving him now," Respitas grinned. "Aka the Scarlet Cutthroat… is no more."

"You're wrong. He won't die. He wouldn't leave us," Arelle said.

"Oh, really?" Respitas mocked. "And yet, none have survived my poison daggers. Do you think you can save him now, now that the poison is already killing him? What do you plan to do, little High-Elf? He won't last but another minute or so."

Arelle glared at him, her eyes burning with anger.

"I'm afraid glaring at me will have no effect on Aka's condition. I suggest you try something else, if you want to save him. But, it doesn't really matter. Aka's lived too long already, don't you think?

Suddenly, Respitas burst into flame again, yelling and cursing. He yelled in frustration, and suddenly charged Arelle. Arelle, not expecting the sudden attack, barely avoided the blow from the inflamed Respitas.

Respitas, still putting himself out, glared at Arelle, his eyes like fire.

Arelle took a step back—she hadn't meant to make him so mad…

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Moren saw Drahkin and Lilliah struggling against the other Cutthroats, both badly wounded. With each attack or block, they became more exhausted, and with each hit they took, they become more wounded.

Moren felt sorry for them, facing so many Cutthroats. But now he would help them.

Suddenly, Moren shut his eyes. "Heal!" he exclaimed.

Bright lights suddenly surrounded Drahkin and Lilliah and then vanished, leaving them almost completely healed of their wounds.

They turned to see who cast the spell, and saw Moren.

"Moren! You're ok!" Lilliah exclaimed. "Did you save Arelle?"

Moren nodded.

"Thank Tunare, she's safe!" Lilliah exclaimed. "Where is she now?"

Moren stopped, confused. He looked around him, but Arelle was no where to be seen. She had been right behind him! Had he left her behind? What if she was in a crowd of Cutthroats? Moren took off, back through the crowds of Cutthroats, using his Burst of Light spell to temporarily blind and stun the Cutthroats.

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Respitas charged Arelle again, their swords colliding this time. Arelle realized her mistake too late—she should have remembered that he was much stronger then her from last time they fought!

Arelle jumped back, but Respitas followed her, swinging his poison blades at her stomach. Arelle fell to the ground, barely avoiding his attack.

Respitas looked down at her and smiled wickedly. "It's finally time for you to die, girl!" Respitas said, preparing to slash her with his poison daggers. Arelle bit her lip as she saw the daggers coming straight towards her. She tried to roll out of the way, but his dagger caught on her cloak, making her unable to roll further.

Respitas grinned, seeing a chance. With his other dagger, Respitas slashed straight at her heart. Arelle closed her eyes, knowing she couldn't avoid the attack.

Not feeling his daggers, Arelle looked up at him to see why he hadn't attacked her. He stood unmoving, his daggers slipping from his hands to the ground.

Arelle looked at him confused.

Suddenly, he fell forward, barely missing Arelle. Arelle gasped as she saw a sword in his back. She looked up and saw Akinen standing before her, holding his chest and panting, his eyes half closed.

"Arelle…You're safe…" he said, collapsing onto the ground.

Arelle jumped up and ran to Akinen, lifting his head. "Akinen! Akinen! Don't die, Akinen!" Arelle exclaimed.

Akinen opened his eyes slightly and smiled. "I'm glad you're worried about me," Akinen said.

Arelle felt a tear slide down her cheek. "Of course I'm worried about you, Akinen! How could I not be? I'm your niece!"

Akinen smiled at her words, but his eyes began to flutter closed.

"If ever I need the power to heal, it's now," Arelle thought. Closing her eyes, Arelle felt the flow around her. Looking down, she saw Akinen's deep wounds. Placing her hands on them, she began to concentrate, manipulating the flow. She had done this on Moren, so she had to be able to do it on Akinen, too!

Arelle bit her lip, trying to concentrate on the flow around Akinen. It wasn't the same as Moren's was. It wasn't the same as any she had seen. Akinen's wound had deadly poison in it. She would have to remove it. But how?

Arelle concentrated. Could she manipulate the flow so as to remove the poison? Would that be possible? Arelle had never dealt with anything like this in her lessons with Moren. But Arelle knew there must be a way to heal poison. Yes, there had to be.

Arelle held her hand above Akinen, concentrating hard on the flow of his wound. Suddenly, the flow of the wound became clearer to her. She reached out her hand, concentrating. She felt the poison in his wound. Holding her hand above his wound, she manipulated the flow so that the poison drained from the wound.

When she opened her eyes, Arelle saw Akinen looking at her, eyes no longer sagging, no longer breathing hard or sweating.

"It worked..." Arelle said.

"Arelle…" Akinen said. "You saved me."

"You saved me from Respitas, too, Akinen," Arelle said.

Suddenly, they heard chuckling. Akinen and Arelle turned to see Respitas, still lying on the ground with Akinen's sword in his back, chuckling.

"You're still alive?" Arelle asked angrily. He was the one who had endangered Akinen's life in the first place!

He coughed. "Yes…apparently."

Akinen walked up to him. "I'm sorry, Respitas."

"Don't say that, you idiot," Respitas said.

Akinen gently pulled his sword from Respitas's back and laid it on the ground.

Akinen saw Respitas's eyes drifting close. "Forgive me. I never intended to kill you, a man I once considered a friend," Akinen said, looking down at the ground.

"I said… quit saying…that!" Respitas stuttered out. "If you keep saying… things like that… I might feel sorry about trying to kill you… Aka the Scarlet Cutthroat," Respitas said, his eyes drifting close. "If you ever…see the Commander again…say 'hi' to him for me…"

And with that, Respitas's body went limp, his eyes closed.

Akinen looked down at him and hid his face in his hands. Arelle thought he must be crying, but she couldn't tell for sure.

Suddenly she heard a voice behind her.

"Arelle! Akinen!" Moren ran up to them, panting.

"Moren!" Arelle exclaimed.

"Are you all right?" Moren asked Arelle.

"Of course I am," she said. "But I think you should heal Akinen."

Moren looked at Akinen and saw his wound. "Oh! Right."

"Arelle already cured my poison," Akinen said.

Moren raised an eyebrow. "Arelle did?" he asked, looking at Arelle. "But I never taught her how to cure poison!"

"This adventure has taught me many new things, Moren," Arelle said.

"I see!" Moren said. He closed his eyes and concentrated on Akinen's wound. Suddenly, with bright lights surrounding it, it disappeared.

"Thank ye, lad," Akinen said, smiling.

Moren nodded. Then his eyes drifted to where Respitas lay. "He's dead?"

Akinen sighed. "Yes, he's dead. I don't think we have to worry about him anymore." Akinen said, his eyes resting on Respitas's dead body.

Arelle laid a hand on Akinen's shoulder. "I know you feel bad about it, Akinen, but you did right to kill him," she said. "You did right."

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Weee! My first non-cliffhanger in a looong time!

Blue the Echidna: Yay! You're back! *dance* Ack! Not Akinen! .  
Amai's Reply: Yay! I'm back! *does a jig* ^.^ And now I'm leaving again...-.-;; Anyway, I bet you were worried when the chapter title was "Death", weren't you? Hahaha, I'm so evil ^.^

Pizza Pizza: Nother cliffhanger!? =P Oh, action. You should've just had Aka kill Respitas earlier =\ but I guess that would be no fun lol The chapter was worth the wait :)  
Amai's Reply: Yes, yes, action indeed! See, I'm getting better at action scenes! Just wait till we get finish with the whole adventure, and then have some more sappy scenes ^.^ That would be typical. And thanks for saying it was worth the wait! You all are so encouraging ^.^

ow my brain: no dont let akinen die =(  
Amai's Reply: Don't worry, I don't think I'd ever let any of my main characters die...I love them all too much . I grow far too attatched to them...^^;;;

****************NOTE**********************

NOTE: Ok, I missed my update last Thursday (12th). I know I promised I would write it ahead of time and have my proofreader, Tess, post it for me while I was gone, but I never got the next chapter written. I'm sorry! I honestly tried to get it done before I left, but I left sooner than I expected, and the time slot I had made for writing Arelle was used up when I had to pack my suit case earlier than expected and leave. Updates will resume next Thursday (19th). I'm really sorry. I'm thankful to all of you who stick through all my missed updates ^.^ Thank you to everyone who reads Arelle!

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	12. Chapter 12: Safe

Author's Notes: Wee! I'm back from my vacation! It was very fun! I had a blast ^^ Oh, and I saw some people voted on the Arelle poll! I'm so happy ^.^ So far, the votes say 2 for Moren, 1 for Akinen. Hmm. None for Drahkin? He feels so unloved! Poor Drahkin... ^^ So, if you want to vote on the polls, just click on my user name Amai no Tenshi above the fanfic, and in the bottom of my Bio should be a link to it. Go! Vote! More votes make Amai happy ^^

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With the Cutthroat's leader, Respitas, killed, the Cutthroats began to scatter, escaping the underground mine. Respitas had promised them all great treasure, but now that he was killed, was there any reason to stay and fight these warriors, who, though so greatly outnumbered, were still holding through, if not winning against them? Horrathe, Respitas's assistant and a Barbarian, tried to keep the Cutthroats in order, claiming command, but he was not a leader, and the Cutthroats slowly dispersed from the mine, leaving Arelle and her companions. Last to leave was Horrathe and a troop of ten—once they saw how few left there were, they quickly fled.

When the Cutthroats had completely dispersed from the mine, Drahkin fell to his knees, sweat pouring from his brow as he panted deeply, blood staining his clothes. Lilliah let herself fall to the ground, sitting in Indian style, her eyes fluttering shut, exhausted both from fighting and casting—her mana was completely out. They looked at each other and smiled—they had made it. It had been a long, hard battle, but they had come out victorious. They turned to see Arelle, Akinen, and Moren walking towards them.

"Lilliah! Drahkin! You're ok!" Arelle said, running to them, despite her weariness.

Lilliah got up smiling and grabbed her in a hug. "Arelle! I'm so glad you're alright!" she said, hugging Arelle tightly. She pulled out of the hug and brushed some of Arelle's now muddy hair back from her mud-stained, sweating face. "You look like you've had it pretty tough!"

Arelle smiled. "You don't look like you've had it too easy in this battle, either!" Arelle said, smiling at Lilliah's disheveled hair and dirty clothes. "Thank you, Lilliah. Thank you for coming to save me." 

Lilliah smiled at her. "What are friends for?" she asked cheerfully.

Arelle turned to Drahkin. "Well, I didn't expect to see you here, of all places…Drahkin, was it? Yes, of course. Drahkin Mah'Cahlk. I'm very thankful to you for helping rescue me, though I do not know your reasons for doing so…" Arelle said, extending her hand to him to shake it, smiling.

Drahkin paused, staring at her, and then shook his head. This was not his sister Linnira standing before him—this was Arelle. He took Arelle's hand, smiling at her. "My reasons are complicated, but for now, let's just say it was for Respitas. He was my bounty. I met with the others outside, and was surprised to see our goals were similar. We joined forces to defeat Respitas and rescue you, maiden. I'm glad I was of help in your rescue. I'm glad you're now safe, Arelle Mah'Alimah," Drahkin said, taking her hand and shaking it.

Arelle smiled at him. "I see. Thank you for helping rescue me, Drahkin. I am very grateful to you." Arelle turned to Moren.

"Moren, thank you so much for helping me control my magic—I've never been so thankful that I have magic. Thank you for training me in magic, even though I know I'm not the perfect student, and I'm not even giving you anything in return for all your lessons. I'm so glad you've taught me what you have—I don't know what I would have done without it all. Thank you. And not only that, but I still have to thank you for rescuing me! Risking your own life to help me—I know you're a good friend. Of course, I knew that before," she said, smiling. "Thank you, Moren," she said. She paused, unsure whether to hug him like Lilliah or shake his hand. Arelle hugged him, pulling away quickly and smiling. "Thank you."

Moren smiled at her. "I'm glad you were able to use your magic so much in this adventure! I can't believe all the things you've done—you've excelled beyond my expectations. I guess all you needed was motivation to cast your spells, now that you know the basics. I'm glad I could help you with those. But most of all—I'm just glad you're safe, Arelle. I'm sorry I couldn't protect you better…it was my fault. I was careless. I'm so glad you're safe again!" Moren said, sighing.

Arelle faked an annoyed face. "Moren, you're beginning to sound like a pregnant woman! Don't get so emotional!" she teased him, laughing as he stuck his tongue out at her. She shook her head, laughing, but then looked up at him, her smile sincere. "Thank you for worrying about me, Moren," she said.

Arelle turned to Akinen. "Akinen…thank you. Thank you for rescuing me, putting your own life at stake by coming here. And then again, saving me from Respitas. To tell you the truth, when I was locked up in that cold, dark room, I began to doubt things. I lost my faith in my friends, and wondered if you all really cared enough about me to save me. I know it was just because I was depressed and frantic, but I really worried whether I really had such friends that would stay by my side always, or if somehow I had been deceiving myself, everything just in my mind. Especially you, Akinen. After the way I had treated you, why would you choose to rescue me? After all I had done to you?

"But now, now I understand. I'm no longer clouded with these thoughts—I know who my friends are, and I won't doubt them again. You're true to the end. I know it. So, because I know you're there for me, Akinen, I want to be there for you, too. I'm sorry for what I've said to you in the past. About being a Cutthroat, about disgracing our family—none of it means you're a bad person inside. I believe you are a very good person, deep inside. I'm proud—proud to be your niece," Arelle said, suddenly hugging him. She smiled. It felt like the weights on her shoulders had been lifted. She had finally said it—she had fully apologized for the things she had said, and told him she was proud to be his niece—and it was all true.

Akinen just stood in silence, not knowing what to say. She really forgave him? She really forgave him, even after how he had disgraced their family? After all he had done, all the wrongs, she was so willing to forgive him? 'I'm proud—proud to be your niece'…those words were so encouraging. They filled him with warmth. He was proud to have her as a niece, too, but he couldn't tell her that because the words seemed to stick in his throat. But it didn't really matter. He didn't need words. He pulled out of her hug and looked at her, his eyes full of gratitude. "I…I'm glad you're safe…lass..." he said.

Arelle smiled.

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Arelle sighed, closing her eyes as she lay on the side of the grassy hill. It was so good to be back. She had only been gone for a little while, but just in those few days, so much had happened. It felt good to be back with her companions. Those days locked up in that dark, damp room…she had felt so alone. But now she was back. She remembered at supper earlier today, she had been so hungry for Lilliah's cooking. Even though Lilliah was still exhausted from the battle earlier in the day, she still made a tasty supper for them all. Drahkin was, of course, invited to eat and stay the night, at which he accepted.

Arelle wondered about Drahkin. Just who was he, exactly? They all knew so little of his past. A Warrior High-Elf bounty hunter? How unusual. And what was it he kept calling Arelle? Linnira, his supposedly dead sister. Arelle must have really reminded Drahkin of Linnira. It made Arelle uncomfortable how Drahkin would stare at her, looking at her as if he was staring into her, trying to find his dead sister in her eyes. But it never worked, because, of course, she was Arelle. And not only that, but Drahkin treated Arelle special. Arelle could tell just in the little things he did. That must have been because she reminded him of his sister, too!

But really, Arelle felt sorry for him. His sister was probably very young when she died, and it was obviously very traumatic for him. Well, that was understandable. Just the thought of her twin sister Arelliah dying made Arelle feel ill. She wondered why he decided to become a bounty hunter. It wasn't an honored profession to the High-Elfs…Arelle wondered what his parents thought of it. Most High-Elf parents wouldn't let their son be a bounty hunter…

But that was enough of that. Even if Drahkin's past was still a mystery, he had proven himself as more than just a bounty hunter. He was a friend. He had stayed till the end, helping Lilliah fend off the Cutthroats. According to what Lilliah had told her, Drahkin was a mighty warrior, and he had helped incredibly. She had said she didn't think she could have stood up against all those Cutthroats alone. He had been a great help. And Arelle didn't think it had been just for the bounty. If it had been for the bounty, he would have escaped through the Cutthroats alone, leaving Lilliah, and gone after Respitas first.

Arelle remembered when they were leaving the cave. Akinen asked Drahkin if he was going to bring Respitas's body so he could turn it in for the bounty, and Drahkin paused. "You don't mind?" he had asked carefully. Akinen had shook his head, "No, I don't, lad. He wasn't a friend…even if part of me regrets having to kill him, it would be a waste for ye not to get the bounty for him. That was the reason ye came here in the first place!" Akinen had said. Drahkin had looked at him and slowly nodded, picking up Respitas's body.

Arelle wondered what Akinen thought of all of this—Cutthroats from his past coming, them stealing Arelle, the so-called 'Commander's treasure'… This was the first time Arelle had met people from Akinen's Cutthroat past. Were all the Cutthroats like Respitas and Horrathe—so cruel and evil? If so, Akinen must have really had it hard. She was surprised he was a Cutthroat for so long. How could he bear it? But now that she thought about it, he didn't really have anywhere else to go. He couldn't live normally in a High-Elf city because of his scar, and he would never be accepted into any other race's town, either. The Cutthroats were one of the few clans who really didn't really care at all what your race was, what you looked like, or where you came from. They were completely accepting, as long as you were a good fighter. The problem was…nearly all of them were evil.

So, Akinen was forced to be with a clan of evil Cutthroats just because he had a scarred face. It seemed cruel, really. He had to join the Cutthroats when he was so young. But, it was all ok now. He wasn't in the Cutthroats anymore. He was here—he was with Arelle, Moren, and Lilliah. None of them cared about his scarred face, or about his past. He fit in here. Arelle hoped he was happy here…He didn't open up to them too much, but maybe that was just him. Arelle assumed he probably didn't talk about his problems to the other Cutthroats much. Knowing the Cutthroats, they'd probably learn his secrets and then use them against him later.

It was sad, really. Akinen had to hide his feelings away so that the other Cutthroats couldn't use them against him. No wonder Akinen was always shy about telling people how he felt. Arelle's mind drifted back to Lilliah—Lilliah loved Akinen. She had told Arelle so long ago. But how did Akinen feel back? Had she ever told him? Had he ever responded? It was pretty obvious Lilliah loved him. Surely he picked it up by now. Was he not telling her how he felt back because he had trouble with such things? Just how _did_ he feel back? They seemed like a perfect couple, but Arelle had never seen Akinen give any clear signs he loved Lilliah back.

Well, perhaps Arelle shouldn't try to meddle with it. No matter what her thoughts were, it really wasn't her business. She wondered, though…she wondered if Akinen would be happier if he and Lilliah were in love. Maybe that's what he needed. Arelle wanted the best for both of them, but she couldn't make the decisions for them. She would wait and see how it played out—and maybe encourage Lilliah to hurry up and confess her feelings to him, if she hadn't already.

Speaking of Lilliah…Arelle still really didn't know much about her past. They had known each other so long, and Arelle considered her a close friend, yet Arelle still didn't know much about her past at all. She was a Barbarian from Hallas, who, for some reason, ended up in Greater Faydark, where she was captured by Cutthroats, was rescued by Akinen, fell in love with him, and then, by Akinen's advice, fled back to Hallas. So she trained hard and became a Shaman, but she still loved Akinen, and couldn't forget him, even five years later. She returned to Greater Faydark in hopes to find him, searching for nearly another year, and finally found him.

Arelle knew some about her, but there were so many empty spaces. Why had she left Hallas in the first place? Hadn't she said when she was captured by the Cutthroats she was an outcast? But surely she wasn't an outcast of the Barbarians, for she returned there again later. But if not an outcast of the Barbarians, what could she be an outcast of?

There were so many things Arelle was curious about, but Lilliah seemed to avoid things about her past. All she really seemed to care about was the present—was Akinen. Arelle wished she could forget about her own past so quickly. So much pain. Her people fearing her because of her magic. It hurt her deep inside. But maybe…maybe she wouldn't like to forget _all_ of her past. After all…she loved her sister, and her father and grandmother. She had fond memories with them. So, even if she was given the chance, she wouldn't forget her memories. She would take the good with the bad. It was all part of who she was, and how she became so.

Suddenly, she heard footsteps behind her and her eyes shot open, looking towards them. Moren stood there, smiling widely as usual.

"Hey, Arelle!" he said, sitting beside her.

Arelle smiled at him. "Hello, Moren," she said.

He looked at her. "So…what're you doing?"

Arelle paused. "Just…thinking."

"I see…about anything in particular?" Moren asked.

"Hmm…just…us. Just thinking of how all of us have such different pasts, yet we're all such good friends. Even though I don't know much about Lilliah, and Akinen, and Drahkin, and you…I still feel really comfortable around all of you. It's really…nice," Arelle said, smiling, looking to the night sky.

Moren looked at the sky, too. "I see what you mean. We're all so different, but because of that, we all fit in together. It _is_ nice. Especially compared to when I lived alone…" Moren said, his face suddenly becoming more serious as he stared into the night sky.

Arelle turned to him. She had forgotten. She had forgotten about Moren's past…he had been alone. Alone for so very long. His parents were killed when he was young, leaving him in the forest all alone. He had raised himself. Such a young boy—he had to fight to survive in the wild. He really didn't seem like a Cleric…more like a Ranger or something. Yet, a Cleric he was. And a good one, too, Arelle knew.

"You don't have to live alone anymore, Moren… We're all by your side," Arelle said, staring at him.

He turned to her suddenly, and smiled at her, his smile sincere. "Thank you, Arelle," he said, their eyes locking. He turned back to the sky suddenly, sighing. "Actually, I came here to tell you something, Arelle," he said.

Arelle paused. To tell her something? "Well then, what is it?" Arelle asked.

"Arelle…Let's see…how do I tell you…I really… I really think you can control your magic now. You still aren't perfect, but you've gotten to the point where I don't think you can learn anything more from me on just basic magic… I have nothing more to teach you on controlling your magic. Now that you understand your magic, and you've cast some spells, you have a feel for it and everything—there's nothing else I can do for you. You've finished, Arelle. You've graduated from my magic school. I have no more to teach you on basic magic. You… you have no more reason to stay here, anymore. You can…you can…finally… return to your……family…" he said, looking away, his face solemn and his expression serious.

********************

*gasp* Oh no! Will Arelle leave now that she can control her magic? But...what about Moren, Lilliah, and Akinen? Just when everything seemed 'right', suddenly this...Will Arelle return to her family now? And if so, what will I write for the next 22 chapters I plan to write before ending Arelle? Hmm...^^ Don't you just love cliffhangers?

**Blue the Echidna: **I was scared for a minute when I saw that title! But thank goodness Arelle is such a genious. :) Good thing they put Respitas out of his misery perhaps he'll be happy in the underworld..or something.  
**Amai's Reply**: Poor Respitas! I mean, sure he was cruel, and evil, and demented, and...err...*ahem*....ok, I hope he's happy in the underworld, too...or something...^^ Thank you for the comment!


	13. Chapter 13: Arelle Going Home?

Author's Notes: Hey everyone! Well, I'm pretty happy at the moment because I finished Arelle much earlier than usual, and that means I won't be quite so lacking in sleep tomorrow! Posting this at 3 in the morning guarantees I'll have at least six hours of sleep! Woo-hoo! Anywho...

Hey, did everyone see Lilliah--the REAL Lilliah which the character was based off of--reviewed Arelle? Hey Lilliah! Thanks for letting me borrow your character! ^^

Oh, and the Arelle polls are still up, and, surprisingly, Akinen's in the lead! *gasp*! Yep, Moren's got two votes, but Akinen barely beats him with three votes. Well, they WOULD have been even...had Tess not voted for Akinen ^^ Oh well...I'll still be awaiting any more votes it may receive...patiently.. ^^

Oh, and I'm really excited about a new story I'm writing. I've got a page and a half of the first chapter written, but the introductions are coming along quite nicely. Well, it's original, so I guess it'll be going up at FictionPress instead of here....phooey. Does anyone read anything at FictionPress, anyway? I only have two reviews for my older original there, and I got both of those before FictionPress separated from Fanfiction ^^;;; It's sad. Oh well. Hopefully someone will read my poor new fanfic which hasn't even been posted yet. I still haven't even thought of a title ^.^;;; Oh well. It's still in the works. Well, I better be off! Sleep calleth to me, and I am compelled to obey! ^^ Sayonara!

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"You've finished, Arelle. I have no more to teach you on basic magic. You… you have no more reason to stay here, anymore. You can… finally… return to your……family…" he said, looking away, his face solemn and his expression serious.

Arelle paused. Suddenly, her world seemed to crumble. Just a moment ago she was thinking about how she was so happy, being here with her friends. But now, she had finished. She could control her magic. She had no reason to stay here any longer. She could return home. She could return to Felwithe. Her sister…her father…her grandmother…they were waiting for her. They were waiting for her to control her magic and return. She had made it. She could return now. So why was her mind in such turmoil?

"I….I finished?" Arelle gasped, confused.

"Yes…You finished," Moren said calmly. He looked at her, but she was looking at the ground, her eyes showing her thoughts were elsewhere. "I better go see what Akinen and the rest are up to. I'll see you soon, Arelle," he said, getting up solemnly and walking away.

Arelle watched him as he walked away, her mind in confusion. "Wait!" she called out to him.

Moren turned around and looked at her, surprised. She could see pain in his face, and wondered if she had caused it. Her leaving was making him so sad? She didn't want to leave. She didn't want to leave him. She didn't want to leave!

"I…I don't want to leave, Moren!" Arelle said nervously, getting up and facing him.

He looked at her, completely confused. "But Arelle…you're finished! This is what you've been training so long for. You have to go back! You have people waiting for you!" Moren exclaimed suddenly.

Arelle paused in shock, taking a step back. "…What?…" she asked. 

Moren paused, looking at her "It…It's better that way…Arelle…" he said, his voice starting to break.

Arelle gasped. Moren wanted her to leave. Moren wanted her to leave? Could it really be? Why? Why would he want her to leave? Suddenly her eyes widened in realization. Perhaps she _had_ been a bit of a burden to Moren. He had always protected her, cared for her. He had taught her how to survive in the wild. But what had she done for him? Nothing. Nothing. He had always been there for her—had taught her so much—had done so much for her. But she had done nothing for her in return. Nothing. And now, she was finally finished. He had fulfilled his promise to teach her to control her magic. He wanted her to return now. To return to her family. 

"You want me….to leave?…I guess I can see why you would think I was troublesome, but…" Arelle stuttered, tears coming to her eyes. How could he have said that? How could she have been so blinded?

"Arelle…" he said, taking a step towards her so that they were a few feet apart, "You're not troublesome…" he said, looking at her.

She bit her lip. "Then why would you tell me to go home? Why would you tell me to leave you, and return to Felwithe? I thought we were all friends. I thought…I didn't realize I was a burden to you. I didn't realize—" Arelle was cut off.

"What do you mean, Arelle? What are you talking about? We are friends. And since when were you a burden to me? I've never thought of you as a burden before…" Moren said.

"Then why would you tell me to leave, Moren? Why do you want me to go home?" Arelle asked, looking into his eyes.

Moren paused, looking at her solemnly. 'Because…Arelle…you have a home to go back to…people who care about you…a family. You should never give those away—never lose them! Someone like you…someone who has a family…you shouldn't give them away. You shouldn't keep them waiting, Arelle. I know they're worried about you. How do you think they feel, you leaving them like that? I know you love them. You talk about them, and I know you think about them all the time. You love them, and they love you. Why would someone who has a home to go back to stay here in this deserted forest? No one lives here. No one but me. All of you will leave—I know you will—you, Akinen, Lilliah, Drahkin—you'll all return to your homes. I knew it wouldn't last. As soon as you leave, Akinen and Drahkin will want to leave, and then Lilliah will go, following Akinen. You are the one person who holds us all together, Arelle—you're the reason everyone's here. But you have a family. You'll go to your family, as you should. And then everyone else will leave, and suddenly everything will be as it was, before you came. I will be alone.

"I knew this was coming. I always looked into the sky blissfully thinking about how wonderful everything was—and how it would change. I couldn't keep you here, Arelle. I can't make you stay. You don't belong out here. You don't belong with me. I've been alone all my life. You've been with your family all your life. That's the way it is. That's the way it will always be.

"Go home, Arelle. Return to your home…your family…your race. They await you impatiently," Moren said, pain stinging his voice as he turned to walk away again quickly.

Arelle put a hand on his shoulder and he froze. "Moren…Oh Moren…How could I ever leave you?" Arelle asked, sadness in her voice. "You think I would leave you alone in this forest? How could I leave you all alone, Moren? I would never. I couldn't. I won't leave you, Moren. I won't forsake my family—they are very close to me, ever in my heart and mind. They're so very dear to me. I would never forsake them. But now, you're dear to me, too, Moren. I would never forsake you. I don't want to leave the forest yet. I want to stay…at least a little longer. I'm not…not ready to go back yet. But I will go back. I will go back to them, someday. And when I do…I'll take you with me," Arelle said determinedly.

Moren's eyes went wide. "Take me with you? To Felwithe? I…"

"Don't give me an answer now. Just think about it, ok? Think of a whole city of people. The High-Elves are not the same as they once were. They accept half Wood-Elves—even full Wood Elves, and other races, as well—much more than they used to. They would be willing to have you live in Felwithe. Would you be willing to live there? You'd never be alone again. Think about it Moren.

"But that will be later. For now, I want to stay here a little longer. It feels like I just got here, made some great friends, and now I have to leave. I won't leave yet. I won't give up on my family, but I'm not giving up on you, either," she smiled at him warmly. "Now come on…let's go see what Akinen and the others are doing!" Arelle said cheerfully, taking his hand and pulling him towards the camp.

********************

Arelle lay on the soft pallet, her eyes slightly open as her mind wandered over many things. Moren must have been so lonely before she met him. How could he have been such a cheerful, easy-going person if inside he felt such loneliness? Was it all a show, just to hide his true pain inside? Or was his cheerfulness part of his personality—not that he was just using it to hide his true emotions, but that it had become part of who he was really was. Certainly, Moren hid a lot of his painful past away from Arelle—to be honest, she knew practically nothing of his past. She knew how his parents died and he was left all alone, but what about all that time when he was just a young boy, surviving alone in this dangerous forest, all alone?

Moren must have learned to become strong at a very young age to protect himself. Moren was always strong. He could do so much. She remembered how he had looked when she saw him cutting through the Cutthroat crowds to get to her in her hanging cage. He looked so strong—he looked as strong as a mighty warrior. And then he could cast fire spells, and light spells, and healing spells. He seemed so powerful. Was there anything that Moren _couldn't_ do? 

Arelle remembered the battle with the Cutthroats. She had longed so much to be of use. It seemed all she was good for was for getting kidnapped and causing the group trouble. Never had she felt the need for magic skills more than in that battle, trying to help her friends. It seemed she was useless. It really annoyed Arelle when she thought of it. Was she so weak? Was she the one in the group that slowed them down? Arelle sighed, turning on her back, her eyes staring at the top of the tent.

"Something bothering you, Arelle?" Lilliah's voice came.

Arelle suddenly became aware of Lilliah lying beside her. "Ah, Lilliah…I didn't realize you were still awake," Arelle said.

Lilliah turned on her side to look at Arelle. "What's wrong, Arelle? I can tell something's bothering you," Lilliah said, looking at Arelle.

Arelle smiled inwardly. This is what friends were for—to listen to your problems. "Well, Lilliah… I'm not sure how to say it, exactly, but… I just… I just feel so weak. Moren says… Moren says I've completed my training. He says I can control my magic now. But… I still can't really use my magic. I can't do anything with it. I'm still useless!" Arelle exclaimed.

Lilliah paused. "Well, Arelle—isn't that because you haven't learned any spells, really? I mean, you know how to use magic, and you're getting better at it. But once you've learned how to use magic, then you have to learn spells. Right?" Lilliah said.

Suddenly, it dawned on Arelle. Why had she not thought of it before? Moren was powerful because he knew many spells. Lilliah was powerful because she had spells. Spells without the knowledge of how to use magic would be useless, but it went the other way around, too. Knowing how to use magic was practically useless without knowing spells to cast. "That's it! If I am determined to become a powerful Caster, which I am, then I must learn spells! Once I learn spells, I will be powerful, just like you and Moren!" Arelle exclaimed, sitting upright.

Lilliah sat upright looking at her happily. "That's right! But first of all, you have to decide on a class—then you can get a teacher or guild from that class and learn all the spells of the class. Have you decided what class you want to be, Arelle?" Lilliah asked.

Arelle paused. She looked at Lilliah, smiling. "Cleric…of course!"

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**Blue the Echidna: **Well I don't think Arelle will leave them. Heck I wouldn't leave 'em.. And if Arelle did leave she and Moren couldn't get married! So she won't leave them and stuff.Yea stuff :  
**Amai's Reply: **D'oh! How did you suspect it? *sigh*....hehe ^^ Of course Arelle wouldn't leave Moren all alone...poor Moren...and yes, you're right--Arelle will never leave Moren, so she has to take him with her! Aww, isn't that cute? They're so adorable, Moren and Arelle ^.^ Thanks for the review!

**Lilliah:** I have been keeping up with the story and I am really enjoying it and seeing how the story unfolds:) I am of course O so curious about what you do/reveal about Lilliah next, even if I do know a tiny bit of her past :) Arelle cant go yet! Unless she brings Moren along of course. Keep up the great work and hug Tess for me ~Lil  
**Amai's Reply:** Yay! It's the real Lilliah for which the Lilliah character was made after, gracing us here with her presence! Hey Lilliah! ^.^ Yes, there are many secrets in Lilliah's past which will be revealed....err...later.... in the story ^.^ For now, though...she's the friendly, kind, caring Barbarian woman from Halas, come to become friends with Arelle ^.^ Later in the story shall be revealed more of her true past... ^.^ Thanks for the review, Lilliah! 


	14. Chapter 14: Back to Basics

Author's Notes: Well, I'm back form my vacation! It was a lot of fun—I'm glad I went. So many experiences…I'll never forget it ^.^ As for Arelle…I have great plans for it! I've already partially planned out the next big storyarch thingy. I'm still deciding whether I'll stick another long storyarch on the end of this Saga, which would probably make it a little over 20 chapters, or if I should do something smaller. Well, I'm still working out the details, but it's a lot of fun thinking about it.

I just want to say that I really really really really appreciate all the people sticking with Arelle! I know several updates have been missed lately, and I know Arelle is only normally updated once a week as it is, but I'm trying my best. I know I'm not doing that great, but at least I'm trying. And I'm so so so so so grateful to those who have read Arelle, and ESPECIALLY to those who have left feedback! I really appreciate it. You guys make me feel all warm and fuzzy inside ^.^ Thank you so much!

Have a great week! Enjoy the chapter!

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"But first of all, you have to decide on a class—then you can get a teacher or guild from that class and learn all the spells of the class. Have you decided what class you want to be, Arelle?" Lilliah asked.

Arelle paused. She looked at Lilliah, smiling. "Cleric…of course!"

The next week passed very pleasantly for Arelle. When she asked Moren if he could be her mentor and teach her in the ways of the Cleric, he had been very excited. At first he had questioned her on it—if she was really ready and willing to be a Cleric, and not just doing it because he was one. She had to choose her own path to follow, he had said. But she had told him. She had told him how badly she longed to be a Cleric—to be able to help those in need with her powers. That's what she had always wanted. What could be better than saving someone's life with your own power?

After he had heard her out, he was convinced of her dedication and agreed to be her mentor. He hid it well, but Arelle could tell he was very excited. Of course, he wasn't half as excited as she was. This is what she had always wanted! To be a great Magic User like her legendary grandfather, Asheetino—to bring honor to the Mah'Alimah name while doing what she loved for most—helping others. No greater joy could she find then helping those in need. To be useful—to have a place—these are what she always wanted. She would do any kind of tough training for this. She would spend endless years for this. This is what she wanted to be, and once she had set her mind on it, there was no way anyone could've convinced Arelle to be anything but a Cleric.

Of course, Arelle was exasperated when she had her first Cleric-in-training lesson with Moren, where she realized that just as when she had first come to Moren to learn magic, they were now learning the very basics of being a Cleric. How frustrating! Just when she had mastered her magic, and now she back at basics again. These long lessons, just taking in information and learning basic principles—they were as boring as Lore class was when she lived in Felwithe. But although Arelle disliked the basics so much, she was so determined to become a great Cleric that she tried her best to ignore her annoyance and just listen and learn. This is what she had to learn to become a Cleric—there was no way to skip it! She would bear it, and become a magnificent Cleric. Her determination would pull her through any difficulties. And there would be more difficulties than just having to sit through a boring class, that's for sure!

"And so, now you know some of the basics of the Clerics. We'll end here since it's getting close to dark, and I see your attention wavering," Moren said, smiling at Arelle, who sat on the ground, her head drooping slightly, eyes half closed.

Arelle shot up. "I was paying attention!" she exclaimed defensively.

Moren chuckled. "Yes, yes…you just _looked_ like you were taking a little nap," he said jokingly.

She glared at him jokingly. "Well, I may have looked asleep, but I was just resting my eyes. I've taken in everything you've said. See, ask me anything about what you've said, and I can tell you," she challenged.

"All right, all right! Let's just let it pass. I'm starving, and I can smell Lilliah's cooking all the way out here…" he said, rubbing his stomach as if he hadn't eaten in weeks.

"Ah-ha! Now we find the true reason you want to quit for the day, eh? I should have known smelling Lilliah's cooking must have been the real reason," Arelle accused, a smile at the corner of her lips.

"Ok, ok! So I'm hungry! It's getting late anyway, let's quit and go eat. Come on, you don't really want to keep studying when the food is ready and waiting for us, do you? We wouldn't want to keep Akinen and Lilliah waiting," Moren said.

Arelle giggled as she stood up. "Well, if you put it like _that_…"

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Arelle stepped into the clearing where they were camped and smiled. Sitting by the fire, resting on the hilt of his sword, was Drahkin.

"Drahkin! You've returned," Arelle said.

Drahkin smiled as he got up, facing Arelle. "Greetings, maiden. I have indeed returned for a little, to trespass on your gracious hospitality once again," he said smiling.

After saving Arelle from Respitas and the Cutthroats, Drahkin had stayed with them for a day or so and then returned to Felwithe to get his bounty for Respitas. Arelle hadn't been expecting to see him again so soon—only a week after he had left. Well, it was ok, because she was discovering the more she was around him, the more she began to trust him. She had had a bad impression of him at first, but Arelle knew he had a good heart. He was like her uncle Akinen—he had a good heart, it was just covered by a rough exterior.

"It's good to see you've returned. How long are you staying this time?" Arelle asked.

"Only for the night, maiden, then I fear I must go," he said.

"But look what he brought us, Arelle," Lilliah said, suddenly bringing attention to herself. She gestured to the pie on the small wooden table and the pork roasting over the fire. "Isn't it nice to have someone bringing us goods from Felwithe?"

Arelle smiled. "Indeed it is," she said.

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Arelle sighed as she fell onto the matted ground, turning to look at the top of the tent. It had been a very good supper, and afterwards, she had become so involved in a conversation with Drahkin and Moren, she had stayed up later into the night, making her very sleepy now that she lay down on her mats. She glanced over at Lilliah, who was already in a deep sleep, breathing heavily. Arelle watched her as she took heavy breaths in and out and watched as her expressions changed in her sleep. A rather unhappy expression was plastered on her sleeping face, which Arelle found unusual, considering what a happy-seeming person she was. Was Lilliah having a bad dream?

Arelle rolled to her side to get a better look at Lilliah.

"Upsilon…" Lilliah muttered in her sleep, her brows furrowed.

Arelle looked at Lilliah in surprise. Upsilon? Who was that? Someone from her past, perhaps?

"Upsilon…Don't leave…don't leave…me…" Lilliah said drifting off so that the last part was nearly unintelligible.

Arelle stared at Lilliah, surprised. Who was this Upsilon? Arelle tried never to dig up unpleasant pasts, so she really didn't know much about Lilliah. Still, now she was really curious about this Upsilon person.

Arelle sighed, rolling onto her back. She tried to push the thought from her mind—it would do no good to think about it. If it was important, Lilliah would tell her about it when she felt it was right. If it wasn't important, Arelle really didn't need to know, anyway. She shouldn't pry. Arelle sighed, closing her eyes. She wondered what she would learn about Clerics in tomorrow's lessons…

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Drahkin turned on his side, staring into the dark forest. As much as he wanted to, he could not sleep. He slowly sat upright, glancing at Akinen and Moren, who were both sound asleep now, resting by the dim fire. Drahkin turned and looked at the tent where Arelle and Lilliah were. They were no doubt fast asleep by now, as well. Still, his eyes gazed at the tent, as if inside were something special to him—part of his past.

"My dear sister Linnira…Though every day I push the past from my mind and concentrate on living the present, at night the past becomes clear and vivid. Especially when I see her face—Arelle. She reminds me so much of you…" Drahkin said, sighing, looking down. 

"I promised Mother…" he went on, "I promised Mother I would protect you. And I did. But foolishness blinded me. I made so many mistakes. Mistakes that cannot be mended. I lost Mother and Father, but I still had you. I lived for you. I lived to protect you, to keep you safe. Why did I leave you so foolishly? A treasure I valued as my life, and I left you unprotected. 

"I'm supposed to be able to handle it now. I've faced my past, and I say I've overcome it. Yet even now, it haunts me. Oh, Linnira…Is it your ghost that huddles above me, filling my mind with the painful past, or is it just the regret and guilt that's built up for so many years that haunts me every day?" he ended, staring into the dying embers of the camp fire.

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Ah-ha! We finally get to find out more about Drahkin and Linnira. Drahkin's gonna have a big part coming up soonish. A whole storyarch devoted to him, just like the last one was basically Akinen's. Oh, and I forgot to mention in my Author's Notes—I have a new Poll up on the Arelle site! Go check it out! This time it's "Who's your favorite female character in Arelle?" Yes, yes, I know, it's lame. But after having a "Who's your favorite male?" I have to have a favorite female one. Plus, I'm really curious to know who are everybody's favorites. The last poll really surprised me—Akinen beat Moren! Akinen got 3, Moren 2. I can't wait to see this poll's results! To vote on the poll, click on my author name—Amai no Tenshi—above this fanfic. Check the bottom of my Bio for the linky. Thanks!

Blue the Echidna: Poor Moren, he needs much hugs. Ha! I know she wouldn't leave! Hehe can't wait for more of the story. :)

Amai's Reply: Aww, poor Moren…I agree he needs a hug—a hug from Arelle! Wee! Err…*clears throat* ANYway… Thank you for the review ^.^ Thanks for sticking through Arelle, even through my tardiness and lack of updates!

** DEbig3:** i absolutely hate coming across stories like this.. i end up spending an hour or two reading it, then i run out of chapters, and realize that im doomed to checking back every week to finish it.. great writing, pretty engrossing stuff..

as for the screwed up sleep schedule, waking up at 11am is nothing, i dont go to sleep until then sometimes ;)

** Amai's Reply:** Wee! A new reviewer! I'm so glad to hear from you. I know what you mean—I hate it when you come to the end of a great story and realize you'll have to keep checking back for updates. ESPECIALLY when you're just clicking the "next" button and don't see the end coming, and then suddenly you run out of 'next' buttons and realize that's the last chapter they've written! Ah, such a terrible thing… ^.^ Well, I can't really write up the rest of Arelle for you to read right now, but at least I can say that Arelle at least updates once a week! Thanks for all the compliments—it's really encouraging to hear you say that! This kind of review is what makes me really happy I started Arelle ^.^ As for your messed up sleep schedule—I must admit defeat as far as really messed up sleep schedules go! But it's cool to meet other people who have messed up sleep schedules… Who wants to be normal, anyway? ^.^ Thank you so much for your review! I really appreciate it ^.^


	15. Chapter 15: White Wolf Clan

            Drahkin strode down the pleasant white-stone street, quietly munching on his loaf of bread.  Normally he might have been an intimidating figure—a fully-armored man with a six-foot sword slung across his back—but as a town in the edge of Felwithe where the monster-infested forest was just outside their gates, this town seemed to accept strange adventurers like himself more than most

            Drahkin leisurely scanned the streets as he walked through them, but stopped suddenly when he saw something catch his eye.  In large words was written: "WANTED: Raaj, leader of the White Wolf clan."

            Drahkin's eyes were wide as he walked up the poster to get a closer look.  Could it really be?  The White Wolf clan….they were back!  How could it be?  He had destroyed them!  Drahkin hit his fist against the wanted poster in fury.

            "Curse you, murderers!  How could you have survived?!" Drahkin exclaimed.  Noticing his commotion was drawing attention from the villagers around him, he sunk to the ground and leaned against the wall, his arms crossed.  How could they have survived?  How was it possible?  He remembered he had let a few of them go after taking the commander, but to think that those few regrouped and continued the clan?  It seemed unlikely.  But there was no other explanation, except that another band could be using White Wolf's name, which seemed rather unlikely. 

            "Curse them…curse the White Wolfs!  Linnira's death…it's all their faults!  Curse them…I'll kill them again, and this time, make sure they're ALL dead!" Drahkin said, jumping to his feet.

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            Drahkin walked slowly through the dark woods, his gaze towards the ground.  He was doing it again, wasn't he?  He had promised he would forget about things like needless revenge.  Revenge never worked—he had learned long ago that he never felt better after taking revenge, no matter how it seemed.  Yet he couldn't help it—the people who killed Linnira, who burned her alive—they were still alive.  Curse the White Wolfs!  He wanted to destroy them!  But there he was going, again.  Revenge never helps.  The old sage had taught him that long ago…

            So, if it wasn't for revenge, why was he out here, following a rumor that the White Wolfs now resided by the northern walls?  Would he kill them, or bring them in for bounty?  What about the ones that didn't have bounties on their heads?  These sorts of thoughts ran through Drahkin's mind as he made his way through the deep forest.

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            Raaj sat on a stump, sharpening his sword.

            "Commander Raaj, do you know where Renka is?  She's been gone all morning, hasn't she?" one of the bandits asked Raaj.

            Raaj turned to look at him.  "Renka....she said she was going to the nearby village to resupply.  Do you need her?" he asked.

            "Err, no I don't, but are you sure it's ok for her to leave the band like that?  It would be a great opportunity for one of our enemies to capture her, and…"

            Raah smiled.  "Come, now…I think Renka is more than able to take care of herself, don't you?"

            The other guy paused.  "Well, yes…I suppose so…but still, I think…"

            "Don't worry—she took two men with her when I requested her to.  She'll be fine," Raaj said, turning back to his sword-sharpening.  

Suddenly, he stopped.  Had he heard something in the bushes?  He turned, looking at the bushes, but they were too dense to see much.  He listened closely…something snapped, and Raaj jumped to his feet, but before he could even grab his sword, he saw a great High-Elf Warrior break through the brushes, sword drawn, charging Raaj.  Raaj grabbed his sword and blocked the attack, but as their swords collided, Raaj was pushed back in surprise—the attacker had the upper-hand on him.

            "ATTACKER!"  Raaj yelled, warning his clan, using his strength to push the attacker back.  This guy was incredibly strong—he must have been a warrior, as well.  Before he could think another thought, suddenly he gasped for breathe as he felt the man's kick to his stomach.  Raaj jumped back, holding his stomach where the man had kicked it, but the man had recovered quickly.  Raaj's men ran desperately to aid their commander. The last thing Raaj saw before everything went black was the man's long, huge sword coming at him.

****************

            Renka stood in the alley, three younger boys lying on the ground.  "All right then, I'm glad we settled that!" Renka said happily.

            The boys looked up at her, rubbing their bruised stomachs and eyes.  "Just who ARE you?" one of them asked.

            "I am Renka of the White Wolfs!" Renka said proudly, holding her head high.  "Really, you should know more about a person before you try to mug them.  I mean, look at my outfit!" she said, pointing to her solid white outfit with black trimmings and a long white cape.  "Do I LOOK like a normal, innocent city girl you could just beat up and mug?" she asked.  They just groaned.  "Well, no matter—this shall be a lessons learned!" she said cheerfully. 

"Now, since you tried to take all my money first, I think it's only fair for you to forfeit your own money now that I've won!" she said cheerfully.  "Any resistance will, of course, result in me having to beat you to unconsciousness and then taking your money from you," she said smiling, rubbing her fist, ready to do some more hand-to-hand combat.  The boys stood up and dropped their belongings on the ground, running off in the opposite direction.  Renka smiled cheerfully.  "Thank you for your contribution to the White Wolfs!  Your money will go directly to help our needs!" she yelled, smiling as she watched them run off.  She picked up the money from the ground and stuck it in her bag.

"Not much, but it'll probably help buy supplies.  Now, where were those two?  They were supposed to protect me, but….Oh yeah, I left them at the blacksmiths.  I bet they'll be unhappy about that.  Better start heading back there soon, but first I'll head for the market—I promised I'd bring something good to eat back to the White Wolfs!" she said, walking away happily.

*******************

            Renka walked along the small path through the forest, humming loudly, drowning out the sounds from behind her.

            "RENKA, LISTEN TO US WHEN WE'RE TALKING!" the two bandits yelled, annoyed.

            "Oh come ON, guys!  Just forget about it!  I know I ditched you, and I know I told Commander Raaj that I would let you protect me this time, but I jut changed my mind.  You were slowing me down, and I…" Renka began.

            "Renka, you're not supposed to ditch your bodyguards!  We were sent SPECIFICALLY to protect you, and you left us at the blacksmith's!  What if you had been attacked?  You look just like a normal, innocent city-girl, who any random thug could beat up!  Well, except for your weird clothes…" he said.

            She glared at him.  "Weird clothes, ehh?  They just show my loyalty to White Wolf.  And besides, they didn't even get a shot on me!  I mean---they WOULDN'T have, had anyone attacked me, but since, uhh, no one attacked me, err—" 

            "You WERE attacked, weren't you?" one of the bandits attacked.  "See, what did we tell you?  If we had been there, we—"

            "But they didn't even get a punch in on me!  Seriously, guys, the city is like the SAFEST place I could be, compared to the Greater Faydark forest where I LIVE!  I mean, what's the point of protecting me while I'm in a CITY?" she exclaimed.

            "The problem is when you leave the clan.  When you're inside the clan, you're pretty safe, but as soon as you leave the clan, you're vulnerable," said the bandit.

            Renka sighed.  "Yeah, yeah.  Let's just drop it and hurry and get back to the clan.  I'm starving, and I can't wait to see what Commander Raaj thinks of the white biscuits I bought us," she said, running up ahead.  "Come on, guys!  You're slowing me down again!" she yelled, smiling at them as she turned and began running ahead.

            The two bandits looked at each other and sighed.


	16. Chapter 16: Drahkin vs Renka

Author's Notes: Wee! I love writing about Drahkin and the White Wolfs...It's a nice change. I like writing for Renka...she's so fun! She reminds me of Moren.

So anyway...I know I was supposed to make each Arelle saga about 17 chapters, but I guess it's obvious i won't be ending it at 17 this saga. I just have too much to fit in! I guess it doesn't really hurt to make it longer, though, even though it was unplanned. Well, that's life.

So anyway, I do have some news! I will be missing next Thursday's update because I'm going to another anime connvention, but this time it's different--this time i'm selling anime art at a booth in Artist Alley! Woo! Isn't that nifty? So, that's what's been going on in my life. Drawing. Coloring. Formating. Printing. Gah! It's a ton of trouble, but it's incredibly exciting! If anyone is going to Otakon this year, be sure to stop by my booth! It's called Amai's Designs. Yeppers. So, no update next Thursday. But I will be back. Oh yes. And hopefully with more money than when I left, muahaha ^.^

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Renka sighed as she and the two other White Wolfs marched through the forest.

"Are we almost to the camp yet? It seems like we've been going forever, and my stomach's killing me! I haven't had anything to eat since breakfast, and it's almost supper time now—we've been gone all day! We should've eaten at the village!" Renka sighed, dragging her feet. "Are we even going the right direction? Are we lost? When will we get to the camp?" Renka asked.

The other White Wolfs sighed.

"Yes, we're going right way, Renka, and we'll be there shortly," one of them said.

"_How_ shortly?" Renka asked.

The White Wolf rolled his eyes. "Within an hour, no doubt," he said.

"Well, that's pretty good!" she said, a bit more cheerful. "I love shopping for the clan—I can always imagine just how they'll react to each of the new things I bought—especially food. What is it with the clan and food? Not that I could really blame them, as I suppose I eat my share," she said.

"...Or more…" one of the White Wolfs muttered.

Renka narrowed her eyes dangerously. "I'd watch my tongue if I were you…" she said, her voice low and threatening. 

The White Wolf looked at her innocently. "Huh? What do you mean? You must be hearing things," the White Wolf said.

"HEARING things, EH? Well, I—" Renka began, but was cut off.

"I wonder how Commander Raaj will like the new dagger you bought him!" the White Wolf exclaimed out of nowhere.

Renka paused, her expression turning into a grin. "I bet he'll like it, don't you? It even has a dragon carved into the hilt! He said he liked dragons. I bet he'll like it. Don't you think so?" Renka went on happily, her attitude changed completely.

Suddenly, Renka stopped in her tracks, sniffing the air. "Heyy…I smell a campfire! It must be the camp!" she exclaimed happily. Renka ran ahead of the White Wolfs and then turned around briefly. "Come on guys, we're almost there!" she said, running up ahead.

Renka tore through the brushes, following the smell of smoke. Before long she reached a clearing and came to a sudden halt. She gasped. White Wolf men lay scattered across the camp, all bearing gashing wounds. Renka screamed, falling to her knees.

What had happened? What was going on?! Why had happened to the White Wolfs?!

Renka ran up to the closest man, looking over his wounds. He had a deep gash in his side.

"What happened here?" Renka asked the man.

The man's eyes fluttered open and when he saw Renka, he leaned his head up. "It was a demon…he sprang out of the bushes and went straight for Commander Raaj…We never saw it coming… The Commander lasted as best he could, but we couldn't get to him in time—he was knocked out by the demon-like man. We attack the demon-man, but he was just so powerful…without Commander Raaj, we couldn't stand up to him…If only he hadn't gotten the upper-hand on Commander Raaj, then he could have beaten him, I think… He defeated us, but by the time he had finished the last of us, he had many gaping wounds…he just kept going, though…he kept going… like a demon…" the man rolled his eyes up as if remembering the battle. By now the other two White Wolfs had reached the camp, and were in time to hear what had happened.

Renka looked down at him, her face tinged with sadness and fear. "He defeated Commander Raaj…?" she whispered in almost disbelief. "And he…he took him? He took Commander Raaj away?" Renka asked.

The man nodded slightly.

"When…when did this happen?" Renka asked.

The man paused. It seemed like it had been forever ago—he had been waiting here, bleeding to death for so long…. "He came at around noon…"

Renka looked up at the sky. A few hours till sunset.

Renka rose to her feet quickly. Without hesitation, she ran to the horses.

"Wait! Renka! Just what are you planning on doing!" the White Wolfs who had been with her asked, running after her.

"I'm going to take revenge for the White Wolfs! I'm going to get Commander Raaj back!" she exclaimed, running to her white horse.

The White Wolfs grabbed her, restraining her. "Do you really think you can defeat him when Commander Raaj himself failed? Think about what you're doing, Renka! Don't be so foolish!"

Renka struggled from their grasps and jumped onto her horse, startling it. Kicking the horse in the sides, it took off like a bolt of lightning, ignoring the yells from the White Wolfs.

The White Wolfs looked at each other in worry and desperation.

"One of us has to stay here and guard the fallen men—the wolves will come out at night, and the fallen will be an easy feast," said one.

The other nodded. "I'll stay here—you go! And hurry—the foolish girl is too hot-headed to realize what she's getting into!"

The other nodded as he jumped onto his horse and headed after Renka.

*******************

Drahkin rode silently down the slightly beaten path. The horse he was on he had taken from the White Wolf's camp, and beside him was another horse he had taken, which had three White Wolfs, tied up well and slung over it. Drahkin held the harness to the other horse in his hand, and the White Wolfs' weapons slung at his side. These three were the only identified White Wolfs, and thus the only ones Drahkin could get a bounty for. The others he had knocked out or wounded and left at their camp. He had no need for them.

Drahkin stared at the path ahead of him, glancing at the White Wolfs every few minutes, just to keep an eye on them. His left hand held his side where one of the White Wolfs had cut him deeply, his other holding onto the other horse's harness. Drahkin felt his side ache with the jolt of the horse's every step. Blood dripped down his side and onto the horse's back. He had cut it close this time. Too close. He strained his eyes looking ahead, hoping to see the town coming up, but it was no use—the forest was too thick to see much ahead. Still, he should be arriving back at the town soon, shouldn't he? He looked up at the sky—a few more hours till sunset. He hoped he would get in before nightfall…

******************************

Renka dug her heels into the horse's sides, but the brush was too thick to go too fast through. As the horse galloped along at a fast pace, Renka pulled out a piece of white clothe with the symbol of the White Wolfs printed on it and tied it above her nose, making a cloth mask from above her nose to her chin, covering half her face. All that remained visible was her eyes. Pulling out another band of white cloth with the White Wolf symbol on it, she tied it across her forehead. She pulled her short blonde hair back into a tight ponytail, and pulled the hood of her cape down low over her face. 'Good,' she thought, 'now I'm ready for battle!'

Riding on through the forest, she quickly began to lose patience. Where were they? Surely the attacker couldn't have made it that far—supposedly he had been badly wounded, not to mention he had had to bring along a few more unconscious men with him. Surely he couldn't have gone too far…surely she could reach him in time! 

On she rode, her anger and anxiety burning inside her. At first she could hear the footsteps of horses from the White Wolf behind her, but eventually it faded away as she gained on him. She kept her horse going fast, on and on for hours. Just as the sun was setting behind her, she heard the sound of horses in front of her. Perking up, she hastily drew out her weapons—two of what looked like small scythes, which were called kamas. These were her weapons of battle—she only used them when she was preparing for a real battle—otherwise she used her fists.

She brought her horse to a halt and jumped off it, quietly landing on the forest floor. Now off her horse, she ran after Drahkin on foot, using her stealth to sneak up on him. Before too long she saw Drahkin on his horse, leading another horse that, as she saw, had three of her White Wolf companions draped over it. Everything was dark; the stars and moon beginning to show themselves; the sun already set.

Renka was glad of her Rogue training as she ran in the bushes beside Drahkin, not making a single noise. She scampered up an overhanging tree slightly ahead of him and waited for him to pass below her. She was already panting from trying to pass him on the horse, and she wiped the sweat from her brow. In a few moments, Drahkin passed beneath her, and at that very moment, Renka dropped from the tree onto him, slicing at his stomach.

Drahkin, surprised, dodged her surprise attack as best he could, but his horse, startled, took off, throwing himself and the attacker to the ground. Drahkin struggled to get up, but the attacker was quick on her feet, and jumped up, charging Drahkin with the kamas again.

Drahkin jumped back as her kamas went into the ground, spraying grass into the air.

"Who are you and why are you attacking me?" Drahkin asked.

Renka looked at him, her white robes piercing the dark shadows. "I am Renka of the White Wolfs! I've come to retrieve Commander Raaj and the others, you low-down bounty-hunter!" Renka exclaimed.

Drahkin was shocked! This was a girl! Although she tried to distort her voice to fool him, it was obvious, just by her figure and voice. He couldn't see what she looked like, though, for she was completely covered, except for her eyes, and it was too dark to see them, anyway. "Low-down? Me? Perhaps, perhaps not. What about _you_, girl? _You're _the bandit!" Drahkin exclaimed.

"The White Wolfs are not ordinary bandits! Don't classify us with those other bandits! And how did you know I was a girl?!" Renka exclaimed.

"Anyone can tell you're a girl—don't think the pathetic voice distorting will fool anyone! And you think your band is different from the rest? I know your band…I know it from long ago! You're dirty murderers!" Drahkin exclaimed.

"Murderers?! You're lying! The White Wolfs never kill unless it's absolutely necessary!" Renka replied.

"Oh really?" Drahkin's voice was lined with pain and anger, "Well what about innocent, defenseless little girls? What about Linnira?!" Drahkin exclaimed.

"You're wrong! We've never killed a little girl! We've never killed _anyone_ innocent! …Well, there was that time..." Renka mumbled, remembering something, but she was cut off.

"I'm sick of hearing you try to justify yourself! If you want to fight me, fight me!" Drahkin said, charging her. He swung his huge sword at her, but she jumped in time to avoid it.

Seeing an opening, Renka swung her kama at his side, but he was too skilled—he swung to the side, dodging her attack, and as he came back, elbowed her in the stomach. Renka staggered back, the wind knocked out of her, but Drahkin wasn't finished—he swiftly moved in to her again, hitting her on the head with the hilt of his sword with great force.

Renka crumbled to the ground—he was too strong for her. She looked up at him as she lost consciousness and saw the hood of his cloak fly off, revealing his face in the dim light of the moon. Her last thoughts were of surprise—she knew him. He was the one who had fought them before, and taken in nearly all of the White Wolfs, nearly destroying the clan. He was the one who had almost killed Commander Raaj. He was the one she had sworn vengeance on.

*******************************

Oh, and I wanted to thank all the support everyone's been giving me recently! With all the reviews and nice compliments--I feel so loved! ^.^ I just want to thank everyone again for supporting me so much! Arelle is what it is because of you guys!

And another thing--the polls are still up! Arelle is 4 aginast Lilliah's 3. It's nice to see even more people voting on this one! ^.^ Remember to feel free to write comments in the polls at the bottoms, if you want. It'd be awesome to hear people's opinions on the characters or anything else in Arelle.

Oh, and one last thing--I updated the Arelle section for my site, and now we have complete bios for all the characters, plus all the chapters in Arelle thus far! As soon as I finish with Otakon, I hope to draw covers for the Arelle sagas--but that's for later. Check out the Arelle page at the bottom of my bio! And also, *gasp* the main page is finally up! If for some reason you get the urge to check out the main page, you can now behold it's spiffiness! And pinkness...hmm...

Blue the Echidna: Hmm... the white wolves gonna go bye bye eh? Wonder what miss Renka will think when she finds the others dead or something hmm. Poor Drahkin! He needs hugs too.  
Amai's Reply: haha! When you think about it, I think ALL my characters need a hug...hmm...it almost makes me feel sorry for making them all have such tragic pasts...^.^;; 

DEbig3 (debig3@comcast.net): yay, arelle is back! should be interesting to see where the story goes with renka.. i dont imagine raaj will play much of a role ;p  
Amai's reply: Well, originally Raaj wasn't gonna do much, but I'm trying to give him a bigger part now... He'll probably mostly be in flashbacks, hehe ^.^

ow my brain: hey can u hook Moren and Arelle up already lol  
Amai's reply: lol, not this again! Didn't I tell you I have to drag out their relationship to incredible extremes to keep you interested in reading? ^.^ Actually, it shouldn't be TOO long until they confess their love...just hang in there, it's coming! They get closer and closer with every 'bonding talk' they have!


	17. Chapter 17: Evenly Matched

Author's Notes: Yes, yes...I missed my update last time . We got back from Otakon on Thursday, and I really didin't feel like writing Arelle in a hurry when I just got home. But at least I'm back now! Thanks for everyone's patience ^.^

Well, just to give a brief report, we did pretty well with our booth at Otakon! We made enough to pay for the whole trip, which was the goal in the first place. So we accomplished our goal, but we didn't become millionaires ^.^ Ah well. I hope to do it for more anime conventions! Since I'll be going to them anyway, I might as well sell at them, and then they're already paid for! Wee! ^.^

Enjoy the chapter!

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5 years ago, Drahkin and the White Wolfs collided for the first time…

The young boy wiped the blood and sweat from his brow, his eyes glued to the figure before him. The boy held his huge sword to the man's neck, the blade shaking with the boy's tension and rage. Around the boy and the man was wreckage--it looked liked an entire camp had been thrashed. Some of the tents were burning, all was in wreckage, and defeated bandits lay strewn across the camp, all with bloody wounds and blood staining the parched ground. In the middle, fire blazing about, was a boy with a huge sword, who held his blade shakily to a figure's throat.

"You killed her!" the boy, Drahkin, exclaimed. "You dirty filth! Scum of Norrath! You killed her! You killed my sister!" Drahkin exclaimed, tears welling in his eyes, his arm shaking from his rage, shaking his blade dangerously close to the man's throat.

The man looked at the boy. What Drahkin saw reflected back in the man's eyes was not fear, but pity. Pity and regret. "I'm…I'm sorry…" he muttered, looking away from Drahkin.

"Hold your filthy tongue, old man! You're only saying that because I'm about to kill you! You're just trying to get away! You're a filthy bandit!" Drahkin exclaimed, tears beginning to stream down his blood-splattered, muddy cheeks. "You're the leader of the White Wolfs! You gave the order to kill her! You gave the order to kill Linnira! You filthy bandit! Curse you! Curse you and the murdering White Wolfs!"

The man looked at the boy, his sorrow deep. "I'm sorry, boy…This must be about that village…had I known…I mean, I never wanted…I never intended things to be like that…I never…" the man said, a deep sorrow crossing his face, as if hidden sorrow had suddenly been awakened.

"Don't tell me that, you filthy bandit! Curse you! I will kill you! I will kill you and all the White Wolfs! This is for you, sister!" Drahkin cried through a breaking voice as he swung his sword at the man. Suddenly, someone jumped between Drahkin and the man and deflected Drahkin's sword with his own. Drahkin stared at the boy in surprise, but didn't let up the pressure on the sword.

The boy stared into Drahkin's eyes, his brows furrowed in determination, his eyes hard and unyielding. Drahkin jumped back seeing the boy would not give up.

As soon as Drahkin landed, he stared the boy coldly in the eye. "Leave now, boy or I will kill you, too!" Drahkin said harshly.

"_Boy_? I am hardly younger than yourself! And as for leaving--think again! I won't let you kill Father, you dirty killer! I am Raaj of the White Wolf!" the boy exclaimed.

Drahkin's eyes went wide in shock. Father? Drahkin's eyes rested on the middle-aged man, covered in wounds, clutching at the gaping wound on his side.

"Raaj! Get out of here, now! You can't take him on alone, and he's already defeated the others! Take the rest of the White Wolfs and go! NOW, Raaj! While there's still time!" the man gasped nudging his son to go.

Raaj stood firm, his eyes glued to Drahkin. "NO! I will not leave you here to die, Father! You go--I'll hold him off! Go and escape!" Raaj exclaimed.

"Are you insane? You'd--" the man was cut off.

"Enough already! I don't want to hear this!" Drahkin said, clutching his head in his hands as if his head was in pain. "You make it sound like I'm a demon…like I'm a murderer like you! I'm not like you! Don't put me on your level, filthy bandits!" Drahkin exclaimed desperately.

The man and Raaj looked at Drahkin in surprise.

"The White Wolf aren't murderers! We have rules against--" Raaj began, but Drahkin cut him off.

"Quiet! Don't make up filthy lies and excuses! You killed my sister! You killed Linnira! You're all filthy murderers! All of you!" Drahkin exclaimed.

"But we--" Raaj began.

"Raaj! It was…that time…" the man said. Raaj looked at his father.

"That time…oh…" Raaj said, suddenly gloomier. "I see. That's what this is about. That's why he wants revenge," Raaj said.

"Stop talking about me like I'm not here! All I know is you murdered my sister. That's all I need to know! This is what I've trained for. I will kill you two and all the rest of the White Wolf clan!" Drahkin exclaimed, charging Raaj again.

Raaj blocked, and once again their swords met with great force. Drahkin pushed with his sword as hard as he could, but Raaj held him back, his hands trembling with the will to block Drahkin.

"You're quite strong…I'm very impressed. But how long do you think you can hold out against me? Already, you're quivering. You won't last much longer," Drahkin said, hoping his taunts were true.

Raaj glared at him. It was true--he wouldn't be able to block Drahkin for much longer, exerting this much effort. He looked at Drahkin, whose brow was covered with sweat, yet he stood firm like a mountain, bearing down on Raaj. It was no use. He couldn't match this man's stamina.

Raaj jumped back quickly, avoiding Drahkin's sword.

Drahkin smiled inwardly--this is what he had been waiting for. Drahkin, not giving Raaj time to rest, swung his sword at Raaj again. Raaj ducked quickly, avoiding the huge sword, then jumped at Drahkin, slashing at his side.

Drahkin stepped to the side, trying to dodge it, but was too late. Drahkin winced as he felt his side slice open, and his angry eyes fell on Raaj. He was fast! Raaj jumped back after having succeeded in his attack, and to Drahkin's surprise, sheathed his sword.

"Leave now, Warrior! Forget your revenge! I don't want to try to kill you. It's not our way. Go now and never return!" Raaj exclaimed. He glanced back at his father who still lay behind him. He looked like he was losing consciousness.

Drahkin glared at him. "Curse you, filthy bandit! You think I give up that easily? Fool!" Drahkin said, preparing to swing his sword again. "Draw your sword again, unless you will a quick death!" Drahkin said, preparing to strike again.

Raaj, seeing Drahkin wasn't ready to give up the fight, drew his sword again quickly, and just in time to dodge a swing from Drahkin's huge sword. After dodging, he turned to Drahkin, "I told you to forget your re--" Suddenly he saw Drahkin's sword coming at him unexpectedly out of the corner of his eye. Breaking his sentence off, he sidestepped quickly, trying to dodge, but was a bit too late--Drahkin's sword skimmed across his chest, making a deep wound.

"RAAJ!" came a girl's voice from behind them. Drahkin glanced behind him, but saw nothing. He turned back to Raaj just in time to see him fall to the ground, blood pouring from his wound.

Drahkin wiped the sweat from his brow. He had defeated him. Next was--

Suddenly, Drahkin felt a sharp pain in his shoulder. Stumbling to the ground in pain and surprise, he looked down and saw a dagger stuck in his shoulder. Drahkin looked around and saw the man, Raaj's father, sitting there, blood covering him, staring at Drahkin. He had used the last of his strength to throw a dagger at Drahkin. And he had hit.

Drahkin looked down at his wound and closed his eyes. Gathering his strength, he rose to his feet weakly. He walked over to the man, who was bracing himself up weakly.

"I'm taking you to the authorities…where you will be meet a humiliating death in front of hundreds…for all of your murders…that is the fate…I have decided for you….murderer," Drahkin snarled.

With that, Drahkin lifted him and slung him across his shoulder. Blood spurted from his wounds, but he ignored them as he began weakly walking towards the village.

"This is it, White Wolfs! Remember this day as the day the White Wolf clan was defeated by one single man! The White Wolf clan is no more!" Drahkin exclaimed, walking towards the village.

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Back in present time….

Drahkin sat cross-legged, his back against the jail cell. His eyes were downcast, but every once in a while he looked into the jail cell before him. Suddenly he saw a stirring in the cell and peered in.

"You're finally up, eh?" Drahkin said.

Inside the cell, Raaj stood up and peered over at Drahkin, sitting in the hall facing him. "Where am I? Who are you? Wait--you're the one who captured me! I'm in prison!" Raaj exclaimed, realization taking over.

"Wow, you're fast," Drahkin joked, chuckling lightly.

Raaj glared at him. "What are _you_ doing here, anyway? You got your bounty already, why are you here?"

Drahkin fell silent. "Well, while I was turning you in, it finally hit me where I'd seen you before. You weren't just one of the White Wolfs that I defeated. You were him, weren't you? Yes, that's right--Raaj. But back then, it wasn't 'Commander Raaj'. Your father was commander," Drahkin said.

"Yes, he was until you turned him in!" Raaj exclaimed.

Drahkin blinked. "Ah…right. He must have been executed for murder. I see. Well, it's his own fault. I just turned him in for his crimes," Drahkin said.

"Hold your tongue! My father never murdered anyone! He wasn't executed. He was charged with stealing. He was fined, plus four years in prison," Raaj said.

"Oh really? Then where is he now? I thought you took over for him after his death, but apparently not. Then, you took the position from him by force? What'd you do, kill him?" Drahkin asked.

"What IS it with you?! What makes you think we're SUCH bad people? I would never harm my own father! He left the White Wolf and gave power to his second-in-command. After his second-in-command proved to be a dirty liar with no morals, he was overthrown by the clan, and I was elected as commander in his place," Raaj said.

"Yeah, that sounds like a likely story. Wouldn't want a murdering bandit commander with no _morals_," Drahkin said dryly.

"Great gods! All you intend to do is mock me? If so, I really don't see the point in you being here. Why _are_ you here, if you hate me and the White Wolf so much?" Raaj asked.

Drahkin paused. "No reason, particularly…I just…That fight I had with you so long ago was, for some reason, very memorable…We were completely matched. I got you by luck. That's what made it memorable," Drahkin said.

Raaj smiled. "Heh, so that's what it's about. I remember fighting you…I have ever since that day. We both went to our fullest. And we were even. Yet you still beat me! That's what really got to me. How frustrating, really. And now that I think about it, that's what happened this time, too! You caught me by surprise at the camp. I wasn't prepared. Why is it you've won twice, when we're evenly matched?" Raaj asked.

Drahkin stood up and walked to the jail cell. "It's not as much fun or as much of a challenge if you take the other guy by surprise. I'd like to fight you again--one on one. Fair and square. That would be a worthy battle," Drahkin said, smiling.

Raaj walked to the prison bars and stared Drahkin in the eye. "A worthy battle…hmm? It does sound interesting. Unfortunately, however, you seem to have led me to a jail cell, where I won't be leaving for quite a while!" Raaj said.

Drahkin stared at him. "Sure enough, sure enough…'Tis a shame. But you had it coming when you started murdering--"

"Don't even start that again!" Raaj exclaimed in annoyance.

Drahkin paused. "Fine, whatever. It was interesting to meet you again, Raaj of the White Wolf. I suppose we'll never see each other again, since you'll probably be hung. See you in the after life!" Drahkin said, turning.

"Yeah, right. Goodbye, odd, troubled bounty hunter," Raaj said, watching Drahkin leave the jail.

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Blue the Echidna: Hehe bonding talks :) Are all of the people in your story actual characters in EQ?  
Amai's Reply: That's a very good question which I should have answered a long time ago! ^.^ The answer is, No. Only a few characters are actually based off EQ charas! The only ones currently in the fic that are based off EQ charas are Arelle and Lilliah, but Pluton will be making his appearance very shortly! Thanks for the review ^.^

Pluton: You have to stop going away so much ... that way you won't miss any updates! What am I supposed to do at work on Friday's when there is no update for me to read?!?!? ;) Keep up the good work!  
Amai's Reply: Yay! It's Pluton! Hiya ^.^ Sorry 'bout the lack of updates, but I'll make it up to you by putting you in the story, hehe ^.^ It was nice to hear from you! Thanks for the review!


	18. Chapter 18: Pluton the Wizard

***Note***

Yes, I missed the Thursday update. I'm sorry! My pc went crazy and I ended up having to reinstall windows . Therefore, I have to reinstall alll my programs, which is a big pain and really annoying, especially since I just recently reformatted before this. Grr! So, since I didn't have Microsoft Word installed (I actually STILL don't) I was unable to write the next chapter, thus, I was unable to post it on Thursday. So, updates will resume NEXT Thursday. Sorry for all the trouble! See you next week!

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Author's Notes: Ugh...ok, yes, I did in fact miss last Thursday's update. Sometimes...it's really hard to force yourself to write . But this chapter is a bit longer than the norm, so think of it as making up for last week's! ^.^ Enjoy the chapter!

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At a tavern in Felwithe, the night before the trial to decide the sentence of Raaj, the commander of the White Wolfs.

Renka sat silently, her eyes focused on the mug before her, her thoughts far away.

"Hey," she heard a voice beside her, "You ready for tomorrow?"

Renka looked up. It was Myrall, one of the White Wolfs. She paused at his question, then let her gaze focus back on the mug before her. "As much as I would ever be, I suppose. I really…I really wish this wasn't happening," Renka said.

Myrall paused. "Hmph! Don't get so down. Commander Raaj hasn't done anything serious. They should let him out of jail in a few years," Myrall said.

"A few years!" Renka exclaimed, "Don't you realize how much a few years could hurt the White Wolfs!" Renka exclaimed.

Myrall put a hand over Renka's mouth and glanced around the tavern nervously. Renka squinted, realizing she had just might have just given away to everyone in the tavern that they were the bandit clan, the White Wolfs. She looked down at her table.

"Don't talk like a few years is nothing! You should know better than that," Renka said quietly.

Myrall looked at her. "Don't worry about it so much. You're over-reacting," Myrall said, taking a sip of his drink.

"Am not!" Renka exclaimed.

Myrall rolled his eyes at her.

Renka hit her fist against the table, pushing herself up to her feet, and looking at Myrall. "Stop acting like Commander Raaj being captured is nothing! This is going to jeopardize everything! You, just as well as me, should realize this!" Renka said forcefully.

Myrall looked hard at her. "We'll get a replacement," Myrall said simply.

Renka hit her fist against the table in anger. "You well know, Myrall, that this will tear the White Wolf apart and lead to wars and rivalry amongst ourselves! Raaj is what brought us back together!"

"Raaj was a good commander, but that doesn't mean he can't be replaced!" Myrall exclaimed back.

Renka looked at him coldly, and for a second he thought she was going to punch him. "Don't tell me you're hoping to become the new commander yourself, Myrall!" Renka exclaimed, staring him hard in the eyes.

Myrall kept the eye-contact, his gaze unwavering, yet he remained silent.

Renka hit the table in frustration and sat down again, taking a big drink of her ale. "I don't want to think about it. At least…at _least,_ can't we wait till after we see his sentence tomorrow to start talking about a new commander?" Renka said.

Myrall sat down too. "I wasn't the one who brought it up. You were the one getting all worked up about it," Myrall said.

Suddenly, the door swung open, and light footsteps entered the tavern. Renka's eyes focused on the short figure that just entered the tavern.

"A gnome…" Renka whispered to herself in surprise. The gnome's eyes rose to meet her gaze for a few moments before he turned away. The gnome was dressed in wealthy mage clothing, and he held a certain noble air. Despite his short stature and gnomish appearance, by his aura and the look in his eyes, she sensed a confidence, a power. While she wondered about him, she heard Myrall snicker beside her.

"Look at the little guy…he's so small! What's a _gnome _doing in Felwithe, anyway?" Myrall said.

Renka ignored him and kept watching the gnome as he made his way across the room. It looked like he was coming towards her. Suddenly he scooted himself onto a barstool a few away from Renka. His glanced again at Renka, and to Myrall and the other White Wolfs that were in the tavern before turning back to the bar to order a drink.

"I hear the White Wolf's are having a lot of trouble these days," the gnome said after ordering a drink.

Renka narrowed her eyes at him. "How did you know we were White Wolfs?" she asked suspiciously.

The gnome looked at her. "You have a _wolf_ engraved on your belt buckle. It doesn't take a genius, my dear," the gnome said.

Renka looked down at her belt buckle. She had disguised herself as a commoner so they wouldn't get in trouble in the city, but she hadn't thought about her belt buckle. Renka stared at the gnome. "You're a very suspicious person," Renka said bluntly.

He smiled at her, holding in a chuckle. "I like the polite, yet subtle way you work around things before coming directly to the point," the gnome said, smiling.

Renka looked at him, brows furrowed. "Huh?" she asked, completely confused.

He looked at her. "It was sarcasm," the gnome said dryly.

"Are you trying to make fun of us?!" Myrall asked, suddenly joining the conversation.

"Are all you bandits so rash and blunt?" the gnome asked. Myrall enraged, punched at the gnome, yet the gnome sat unmoving. Renka caught Myrall's fist before it hit the gnome. Myrall's eyes met Renka's for a few seconds before she shoved him backwards.

"Myrall! What do you think you're doing? Stop it now, you've already gone too far," Renka exclaimed.

Myrall looked hard at Renka. "Don't give me orders like you're in charge, foolish girl!" Myrall said harshly.

"Well, when Commander isn't here, _someone_ has to keep you out of trouble, rash idiot!" Renka exclaimed.

"Don't take over Commander's place so easily, Renka! You think the White Wolfs will pick a little girl to lead them?" Myrall asked, a sly grin on his lips.

Renka hit the table with her fist, making a loud thud. "I…told you already…I don't want to talk about that!"

Myrall looked at her as she continued her steady glare at him. Finally, he turned. "Whatever. I'm going to sleep. Your constant whining and bickering has made me sleepy," he said, walking away. "See you in the morning," he said.

Renka watched him leave, walking upstairs to his room in the inn. When he was out of sight, she sighed, sliding back onto her stool.

"That Myrall…why is he always so…" Renka mumbled.

"Better keep an eye on that one. He's foolish and stubborn--a very bad combination," the gnome said.

Renka looked at him, surprised. "Ahh…yeah, I suppose so. It's not that he's a bad person. He's just so stubborn and hot-tempered! I can't help but have conflicts with him all the time, because I suppose I have a similar personality. But I can't stand it when he starts talking about the Commander like that… Gah! It gets me so upset! He's always saying things like that, and…" Renka looked over at the gnome, who was watching her curiously. "Err…sorry…got a little carried away there…I'm sure you really don't care…" Renka said.

"Well, it's not that I don't care to hear it, but isn't it unwise to tell random strangers at the tavern all of the conflicts between your bandit clan? Are you even _trying_ to be secretive about you all being White Wolfs? You've already caused so much disruption…" the gnome said.

"Yeah…you're right. But somehow…Well, it doesn't seem like you're untrustworthy. Well, I mean, you can't work for the Felwithe authorities since you're a gnome. And you're not from a rival clan, or I would know. And you don't look like some commoner that would go blab about it on the streets. Well, I mean… I don't know. You're probably right. I should be more careful. Everyone already knows I can't keep a secret to save my life, though…" Renka said chuckling at herself, a bit embarrassed.

The gnome stared at her, and couldn't help chuckling, himself. "You're very…odd. How you turned out to be a bandit, I will never know," the gnome said, smiling.

Renka looked at him and smiled. "Oh yeah, I'm Renka of the White Wolfs," Renka said, extending her hand to shake his.

He looked at her hand and smiled as he took it. "I am Pluton the Wizard. Nice to meet you, Renka of the White Wolfs," Pluton said.

"Well met, sir Pluton!" she replied happily.

"Renka, are you planning on going to sleep so we can wake up in time to see the trial tomorrow, or do you plan to spend the rest of the night chatting to your friend about the White Wolfs?" one of the White Wolfs said to Renka, tapping her on the shoulder.

Renka turned. "I suppose I can do whatever I want to!" Renka said, sticking her tongue out at the other White Wolf.

The White Wolf hit her on the back of the head playfully. "Tch! Grow up, little Renka!" he said, turning to go upstairs to the inn rooms.

Pluton smiled inwardly. It appeared that the White Wolfs were a clan of older brothers to the young girl, Renka.

"Well, I better go now, since all the others have already gone up to the rooms to sleep. I don't imagine we'll have another chance to meet again, since we'll be returning to the Greater Faydark forest soon, but it was nice to meet you, sir Pluton!" Renka said.

"It was nice to meet you too, Renka of the White Wolfs. As for this being our last meeting--you never know what the gods of fate have in store," Pluton said.

Renka nodded, smiling and waving, before turning and walking up the staircase to the rooms above.

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Arelle sat on a hill, looking out over the vast Greater Faydark forest. It was finally getting warm now that winter had ended, and for some reason the newly arriving warmth made her nostalgic. What was her family at home doing right now? How was Arelliah, her twin sister, doing? Oh yeah, spring was starting--that meant everyone was probably getting ready for the Festival. The Festival…it was the biggest High Elf holiday, which really had no point but just to celebrate good things, such as the arrival of Spring. The Festival was like an invitation for every merchant from far and wide to come sell at the town centers, and the people loved it, because you could find just about anything, from just about any land, no matter how far away.

Arelle sighed. This season brought so many memories. So many Festivals she had spent with her dear family. This would be the first time she ever missed it. It just didn't feel 'right', not preparing for the Festival. It didn't feel 'right' to miss it. But it's not like she could go to it. Even if she wanted to go back to Felwithe, she would have to leave Moren and the others, and she didn't want to do that. Moren especially wouldn't want to go. She had asked him to come to Felwithe with her sometime for a visit, but he hadn't said anything about it since that time she asked. It seemed like just a few days ago, but it had really been nearly a month.

Well, if she had to miss the Festival, she had to miss it. It wasn't a big thing, anyway. She liked it out here better anyway, didn't she?

Arelle sighed, resting her face in her hands.

"'Ello, Arelle!" came a voice behind her.

Arelle looked up. It was Moren. "Hi, Moren," Arelle said, flashing a forced smile.

Moren cocked an eyebrow at her. "Heeey…what's this?" he asked, sitting next to her.

"Huh? What's what?" Arelle asked.

"This sad, distant look in your face?" Moren said, poking her cheek.

Arelle brushed his hand away. "Hmph! I don't know what you're talking about," Arelle said defiantly, turning away from him.

"Something's bothering you, isn't it? Tell me!" Moren said anxiously.

Arelle stared at him. She giggled. "You're so weird," she said.

Moren smiled at her. He turned to look over the forest, the trees beginning to spring new leaves, the flowers and bushes reviving themselves from the harsh winter. "It's getting warmer. I like it warmer," Moren said.

Arelle looked at him. "Me too. I'm glad it's getting warmer, because I like it warm. This time of year always makes me happy, because my thoughts always dwell on the Festiv…" Arelle ended abruptly, looking down.

Moren looked at her. "The what? What was that?" Moren asked.

"Uhh, that is…" Arelle didn't like to talk about Felwithe things. She knew it made Moren uncomfortable. She wished she hadn't said anything, that she hadn't spoiled the mood. "The Festival. It's… it's a Felwithien holiday," Arelle said quietly, hoping he wouldn't get mad or unhappy as she stared at the ground. She paused, waiting for his reply.

"Tell me about it," Moren said softly.

Arelle looked up at him, wide-eyed. Had she just heard that correctly? Moren wanted to hear about a Felwithe event?

"You like it, right? This 'Festival' thing? You said your thoughts always dwell on it at this time of year. So, what's it like?" Moren asked.

Arelle stared at him, but his gaze was still overlooking the forest. "Umm…well, it's probably the biggest event, or holiday, in Felwithe. Unlike most holidays, it doesn't really have a significant meaning. It's not to worship the gods, or to praise nature, or anything like that. It's just a time when everyone gets together. Merchants come from all over Norrath to sell goods in Felwithe at this time, so you can find all kinds of amazing things--rare gems, magical weapons and armor, foreign flowers and plants-- everything. It's such an amazing time. And it's also supposed to be a time to be with your friends and family. There are all sorts of events to go to, and things to win. 

"The children also love it--it's so magical. One of the most popular things with the kids is to invite the girl you like to go with you to the Festival. It's the time all the girls get flustered and excited, waiting to see if they get asked to go with a boy. In fact, the time before the Festival might be just as exciting as the Festival itself! It's as if everyone's holding their breathe in anticipation!" Arelle ended, smiling happily as she stared off into the sky, obviously in her own little world.

"I see," she heard Moren's voice from beside her. 

She looked at him. 

"So, you want to go to the Festival," he said more than asked.

She stared at him. "Ahh! That is…" she started. She looked at him, but he wouldn't meet her gaze. "No…that's not what I want," Arelle said.

Moren looked up at her in surprise.

"That's not what I want…If I have to leave you and the others here, that's not what I want. I don't want to leave you," Arelle said.

Moren looked at her, and their gaze met. "Are you sure about that? You really don't want to go? Even though you have to miss the Festival?" Moren asked.

Arelle stood up, dusting herself off. "Don't be silly. If I said I don't want to go, I don't want to go!" she said, smiling. "Come on, let's go see if Lilliah has lunch done yet!" Arelle said, catching Moren's hand and pulling him towards the camp cheerfully.

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Pizza Pizza: Hey, you're back & you updated =D Always a plus, but I don't understand a few things. There was a time skip but how much later is it? Who got stabbed by Drahkin and who's in jail?   
Amai's Reply: Hey hey! I am indeed back! So, yes, after re-reading, i realized that some things were a bit unclear, about the time jump and all. It was actually 5 years ago, when the White Wolfs and Drahkin first collided. Drahkin was seeking revenge for Linnira's death then. He took out most of the White Wolfs, then was facing off against the Commander, when he met Raaj, the commander's son. He managed to defeat Raaj, but Raaj's father threw a dagger at him, hitting him in the shoulder. Ignoring the pain, Drahkin picked him up, as he had basically lost consciousness, and took him to the authorities. 5 years later, the present, Drahkin found out the White Wolfs regrouped, so he goes to take them out again, and finds out Raaj is now the commander in place of his father. He defeats Raaj and takes him to the authorities. While Raaj is locked away, Drahkin reminisces about 5 years ago when they fought eachother. *breathes out* Whew! I hope I cleared that up! Sorry for the misunderstandings--I put a newer version of last chapter up now. 

Adept: i didnt think drahkin was that young :o good chapter, got some more fight detail in there for once ;) (formerly DEbig3.. not a new reviewer ;p)  
Amai's Reply: Actually, Drahkin's about 23. I hope I didn't confuse you with that time jump at the beginning of the chapter -- that was 5 years ago when Drahkin was 18. If your confused, you can read the reply I gave right above this ^.^ Sorry about making things confusing! Thanks for the comment, I'm so glad you liked my pathetic attempts at fight scenes ^.^

Blue the Echidna: Wow Drahkin was strong even as a kid O.o Cool! Can't wait for the next chapter.  
Amai's Reply: Well, Drahkin's had a tough life, so he had to learn how to fight at a young age. That's probably why he's sort of erm, odd in the head sometimes ^.^;; But we still love him! Poor, poor, Drahkin...

Lilliah: I have to say I agree with Plut on the going away thing hehe *smiles* Cant wait to see where the gnomie fits in *waves* checking in again soon, keep up the wonderful work hon.  
Amai's Reply: Ha! You can't complain either, since you're also in the story =P Hehe, j/k ^.^ I'm glad your still keeping up with Arelle! I'll keep updating as much as I can ^.^ Thanks for the comment!


	19. Chapter 19: Facing the Past

************Update: Nov 6, 2003 ***************

GAH! It's been over a month since I updated Arelle . I'm so sorry! I have much to say, but little time. The thing is, I'll be going to flying to a wedding in a few days, and I won't be back until the 23rd. But I have the next chap of Arelle about half done now, so I should be able to get it up pretty soon when I get back! So, on the 27th, I'll have a new chapter up, even if I have to stay up the whole night to finish it ^.^ Sound good? Ok. Then, on the 27th I'll update, plus have a whole rant about WHY exactly I've been so absent recently, and also what my plans for the future of Arelle are. Alrighty then, everyone take care until I get back, ok? ^.^

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Author's Notes: Oops! This chapter is a day late . Well here it is, anyway. Sorry for the lateness!

Oh, and I've been working on this comic....yes, comic. Pictures AND words. Anyway, it's been using a lot of my story-thinking time, and that's why it's been harder to write Arelle. But I've been wanting to make an online comic for ages... Finally, my art has improved to the point that I can start! I know that my comic skills are really awful right now, but I know if I continue making comics, I will improve! Just like when I first started Arelle ^.^ So, I've got a few pages done and stuff, but I'd like to have the site up before I start announcing it officially everywhere, so just stay tuned.

Thanks for reading Arelle! Enjoy the chapter ^.^

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Renka sat on the bench, hands clasped together in front of her chest as she bit her lip nervously. The trial was about to begin. She looked to her left and saw Myrall and two other White Wolfs that had come to see the trial as they watched the front of the court in anticipation. All four of the White Wolfs that had come to see the trial were in commoner disguise, as things would really be terrible if they were caught going to their own commander's trial.

Suddenly, Renka saw Raaj being led to the front of the room. Her heart thumped loudly in her chest, and she bit her lip hard. He looked worn and tired, unlike his usual, energetic self.

The trial began—everyone became silent. They told him his crimes, and Renka winced. They made him sound like such a bad person, but that wasn't true. Raaj was the nicest person she knew! How could they be putting someone like him in prison? But it was the way of the White Wolfs—though they had their morals and ideals, in the eyes of the authorities and those around them, they were nothing more than common bandits.

The trial went on—Raaj pleaded guilty. He was sentenced to seven years in prison. Renka's heart skipped a beat. Seven years! So long! Seven years without Raaj. Seven years of waiting.

They were leading Raaj out of the court now, leading him down the hall that Renka's bench stood by. As Raaj passed her, he looked up and gave her a smile, but it looked so forced, Renka's heart throbbed.

"Raaj!" she cried as she jumped from the bench, wrapping her arms around him, sobbing. The guards quickly pulled her away.

"What are you doing?!" they exclaimed.

"She's umm, my little sister!" Raaj exclaimed.

The guards looked at each other, and let go of Renka. "Well, say your goodbyes, then…" they said.

Renka ran to Raaj, tears falling freely from her eyes. "Raaj! I…I don't want you to go!" she exclaimed.

"Renka, this is how it has to be. You have to face it. You're strong—you don't need me to stand tall, right?" Raaj said.

"You're wrong, Raaj! I CAN'T stand without you! I can't, Raaj! Because you're always there for me! I'm strong because you make me strong! Without you, I'll fail! You can't go! You can't go, Raaj!" Renka exclaimed, sobbing loudly.

Raaj put a hand on her head like she was a little kid as he looked into her eyes. "Don't cry Renka. Be strong! Don't say such things, that you would fail so easily. That's not the Renka I know! Because you're strong, Renka. You're strong because you're heart's strong. It'll be tough when I leave—especially at first—but you'll get used to it, and you'll grow. When I get out of prison, I expect you to have changed, all right? I expect you to be a beautiful, independent, determined lady. It'll be seven years, after all!" he said smiling. "I'll see you, Renka. Watch yourself! Just because you're strong enough to take on anything that opposes you, don't dig yourself TOO deep, eh?" he said, letting the guards take him away, down the hall.

Renka paused, her sobs stuck in her throat. "Raaj!" she exclaimed after him. "I'll be waiting for you!"

Renka paused, watching as the guards led him out of the courtroom. As soon as he had left, Renka ran out of the courtroom through the side door, heading out to the city. Even though Raaj's words had encouraged her, her heart was heavy, and tears still streamed from her eyes.

As she pulled open the courtroom door, she realized someone else was on the other side of the door, and rammed into him on accident. The man was very tall and muscular, and Renka, embarrassed and not wanting him to see her tears, slid past him, running away into the alleys.

Drahkin stood stiff, his eyes wide. Who was that who had just rammed into him? He had only caught a tiny glimpse of her face, but he couldn't help but think that it looked very similar to Arelle's face! Drahkin stood only briefly in surprise before taking off after her. He searched through the alleyways, but there was no sign of her anywhere. Could it really have been Arelle? But what would Arelle be doing here? And she didn't look _exactly_ like Arelle—she obviously had much shorter hair and looked a bit older.

Drahkin sighed. All these High-Elfs looked similar after interacting with so many different races. Anyway, it didn't matter. He had come to hear Raaj's trial, though he didn't want to be noticeable, so he had stood outside the door. Seven years, huh? Then Raaj was telling the truth when he said he had never killed before, since if he had, the punishment would be death. In a way, Drahkin was a bit relieved, though he wasn't sure quite why.

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Arelle sat solemnly on the grass, her eyes downcast. She heard Moren talking to her in the background, going on about Clerics and their morals and honor and such. Her eyes stared at the grassy ground before, until her mind was suddenly jerked into reality as she heard Moren sit down beside her. She looked at him, surprised.

"Oh, I'm sorry! Did you ask me something? I, umm….my mind was wandering again…" she said, a bit embarrassed.

Moren said nothing, but just looked at her. "Arelle, why do you want me to go to Felwithe?" Moren asked.

Arelle looked at him in surprise. "Eh? Well, that is… Well, for a lot of reasons, I suppose. I mean, it's where I was born and raised, and even though I have lots of bad memories, I still think of it as home, really. And you, well, you're my good friend, so when you say things like you hate Felwithe, it makes me sad. It makes me want to show you that Felwithe isn't so bad, you know? It worries me when you say you don't like Felwithe—that you don't want to ever come to Felwithe…" Arelle said.

"It does? It worries you?" Moren asked, curiously.

"Hmm? Well, yes…umm, it does worry me. But you don't need to worry about it! Because I respect your feelings. So, even if you hate Felwithe…well, I'm sure things will work out somehow, won't they?" Arelle said, forcing a smile.

"If I went to Felwithe…If I visited Felwithe, and saw if I liked it, would that make you happy, Arelle?" Moren asked.

Arelle looked at him wide-eyed. "If you—if you went to Felwithe?! Umm…yes…yes, I think that would make me happy," she said, smiling at him.

"Then, if it makes you happy—do you want to go to the Festival in Felwithe, Arelle?" Moren asked.

Arelle nearly gasped in surprise. "The Festival?! This year? This Festival? With you, and me? Are you serious?" Arelle asked.

Moren laughed. "Oh come on! It's not _that_ big of a deal," he said.

"It is! It is to me! Why so suddenly? Because you never talked about it until now, and now you say you want to go within the month?" Arelle asked.

"Well, it isn't so sudden for me. I've been thinking about it a lot. Especially recently. I knew you really wanted to go to the Festival, so I wanted you to go. But I didn't want you to go alone! But then again, I didn't want to go into Felwithe. But, I'm going to have to go to Felwithe eventually, right? I know I can't keep a grudge against them my whole life. Something like that would be foolish. I know I have to face Felwithe, so why not do it and make you happy by taking you to the Festival at the same time?" Moren said.

Arelle smiled at him, her smile wide and cheery. "I'm so happy you're really coming to Felwithe! Let's go tell Akinen and Lilliah!" Arelle said, grabbing his hand and pulling him towards the camp quickly.

Moren smiled.

*********************

"What? You and Moren want to go to Felwithe for some annual festival?" Lilliah asked as she stirred her pot over the campfire.

Akinen, who was gathering firewood, stopped and looked up at them surprised, as well.

"Yes, that's right! Moren said he'd come to Felwithe! So? You guys are coming, too, right? It'd be lonely if you stayed here…" Arelle said.

Lilliah looked at Akinen, who looked at the ground. "Felwithe…eh? So many memories…I don't know…If I want to go back there yet…" Akinen said.

Arelle paused. "But Akinen, you can't just run away forever! You've got to move on with your life, right? So if you fear something, you should face it! Like Moren!" Arelle said, tapping Moren on the shoulder happily.

Akinen looked at her. "Ah…as usual, yer advice is probably correct, yet somehow annoying, lass…" Akinen said, smiling.

Arelle looked at him hard. "Akinen, don't you miss your family? Don't you think of Felwithe sometimes, of your life there? I know you must, because you grew up there, just like me. Just like me, you have painful memories from there, so you want to stay away, right? But we're both bonded to that place, because that's where we were born, grew up—that's where our family is! Just because you have a scar on your face doesn't mean you should forsake your family and homeland, right? Just like because I lost control of my magic doesn't mean _I_ should forsake _my_ family and homeland. Don't you _want_ to see Felwithe again?" Arelle asked.

Akinen paused, his eyes downcast. "Yes…yes, I _do_ want to return…As odd as it is to say, I _do_ want to get over my past. I want to move on, like ye said, but…" Akinen said quietly.

"Then come with us, Akinen! The three of us will face our pasts together, ne? We'll move forward with our lives by all going to the Festival together!" Arelle exclaimed happily.

Akinen laughed at her. "Ye certainly are in a good mood today, aren't you, lass?" Akinen asked, smiling.

Arelle beamed back at him. "Yes. Today, I'm very happy," Arelle said.

"Then I'll come with ye, I suppose. Like I _couldn't_ come with ye, after that inspirational speech," Akinen laughed.

Arelle turned to Lilliah. "And you, Lilliah? You don't have some tragic past tied to Felwithe, do you? You'll be coming too, right?" Arelle asked anxiously.

Lilliah smiled. "Yes, if Akinen goes, I'm certainly going with him! And as for tragic ties to Felwithe—I've never set foot in that city in my life, so the answer would be no," Lilliah said, smiling.

Arelle looked at her surprised. "Oh? You've never been to Felwithe, the city of the High Elfs? Then that will make this trip even more fun!" Arelle exclaimed happily.

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**Pluton:** I know this chapter took you awhile to write but the end result was well worth it - very nicely done! And I'm not just saying that because "Pluton" has made an appearance - well not entirely anyway! :) Speaking of which - why is it that Pluton's appearance is him hitting on a young girl! Tess must be talking too much again! ;) Seriously, this chapter was captivating and very well written - especially for a 2 part chapter. The only problem is I usually read your updates on Friday but since this was up and I read it on Thursday - well you're just going to have to post the next chapter tonight! :) 

So, when are Pluton and Lilliah gonna get together? We were quite the item in EQ! /ducks and runs for cover. *hugs to Lil!* 

And lastly, a little bit of EQ trivia if anyone cares: Pluton never walked anywhere - he was too good to let his feet touch the floor. Seriously, he floated everywhere since he hated looking up at people all the time. Gnomes really are short! And no I'm not going to tell you how many hours(days) it took him to get his cloak of levitation! :)  
**Amai's Reply:** Hitting on a young girl, huh? Well, unfortunately Renka's sort of taken at the moment... Maybe I should introduce another girl into the story for you, hehe ^.^ And sorry bout the levitation thing--I should have known Pluton would never allow himself to look up to at someone! Really, though, his 'presence' is so mystifying, even when you're looking down at the little guy, you're still in silent awe ^.^ Oh, and just letting you know that you will be appearing again soon...just so you don't think you were some minor character person.. ^.^

Blue the Echidna: O.O Tis a gnome!! I love EQ gnomes! That festival sounds like a highschool dance to me. :p  
Amai's Reply: Lol! I guess the kids probably look at the Festival as like a highschool dance, anyway ^.^ Looking at it like that, though, Moren asked Arelle to go to the highschool dance with him! Awwww! ^.^ Thanks for the review!


	20. Chapter 20: Renka the White Wolf

Author's Notes: *bangs head against the keyboard repeatedly* I'm sooo sorry! I missed the update on Thursday, even though I promised I would make it! It's a whole day late . But better late then never right? -.-;;; I said I'd pull an all-nighter if I had to to get it done. Well, I pretty much DID, but I wasn't doing it for Arelle--I had one day to make a picture for the tshirt design for the anime convention next to me, Numa Rei-no Con. I hope I win the contest and get my pic as the tshirt picture, and then it will all be worth it ^.^

And then last night--or this morning, I guess--We sat outside for Best Boy for many many hours, waiting for i to open so we could rush in and buy good sales ^.^ We were like, 20th in line or something, and we got there at 2 or 3 AM. And it was sooo freezing! But I got my new computer for Christmas, along with a new graphics card so I can finally play EverQuest correctly with all the races enabled, so it was all worth it! Wooo!

Well, I've been having a pretty hectic week since we got it last Monday or whatever. Dad flew in (he works off-shore as an engineer in South America), Shiroi's back from college for Thanksgiving, as well as Kage and many other of my friends, and I've been running around doing all sorts of things.

Well, I better go now, and get this fanfic updated. Thank you SOOO much to everyone who has been asking about Arelle, and all the support everyone's given me so far ^.^ I'm sorry I took such a long break form Arelle, but now that I'm finished, I'm ready to update Arelle weekly like I used to! Wish me luck! Oh, and I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving, and ate lots of turkey and apple cider! Wee!

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                In a small, brown tent in the middle of the White Wolf camp, the two most hot-tempered White Wolfs were having a pleasant conversation.

                "What kind of statement is that?!" Renka exclaimed, hitting her hand against the dirty wooden table.

                Myrall looked at her, eyes narrowed.  "Don't act surprised, Renka!  The fact that you're a girl automatically excludes you from the prospect of being the new Commander!"

                "That's the stupidest thing I've heard all day!  Being a girl never kept me from being by Commander Raaj's side-his right hand!  I promised Commander Raaj I would be a beautiful, independent, determined lady, and this is the first step!  I won't fail!" Renka exclaimed.

                "Who said you were Commander's Raaj's right hand?!  That's something you made up to make you feel important," Myrall said bitterly.

                "From the day I became part of the White Wolfs, I was always by Commander Raaj's side!  And I will be till the end!" Renka said.

                Myrall's burned in anger at her words.  "That's right!  Always by the Commander's side, never able to do anything for yourself!  Everyone can see your stupid little infatuation with him!  Do you think he even ever considered you a girl, with the way you act and talk?  You've always just been a little kid that follows him around, doing whatever he asks.  He pats you on the head when you do something good, and you're happy!  You really think he loves the back, Renka?!" Myrall exclaimed heatedly.

                Renka's eyes went wide.  Her stomach knotted as realization hit her.  She crumpled forward, clutching her heart as if it had been pierced.  Everything he said made sense.  It made too much sense.

                "That's a lie!  Those are lies!  Take them back, Myrall!" Renka said, her eyes brimming with tears.  Everything was dawning on her-her true feelings for Raaj, and the fact that he didn't feel anything but the love of companionship to her. She had known it all, deep inside, but because she knew it was hopeless, she had never let herself think about it.

                Myrall's anger seemed to vanish as Renka's tears started spilling down her sunburned cheeks.  He looked away, not wanting to see her crying.  He had been too hasty.  He wished he could take back what he had just said, but it was too late now.  "Just...just forget it.  I'm going," Myrall said, turning to leave the small White Wolf tent.

                Renka buried her face in her hands, silently sobbing into them.

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                Day by day passed, each bringing more of the warmth of the approaching Summer, and each making Arelle's excitement and pleasure grow deeper.  Everything seemed like a dream-this had been her dream for the longest time.  To be taking Moren, Akinen, and Lilliah to Felwithe!  This was a dream she had wondered if she could ever make come true.  And now it was finally happening!

                Slowly, both Moren and Akinen were opening up.  They both were trying to overcome problems in their pasts, trying to come to a greater acceptance of the situation they were in and trying to move forward from there.  Going to Felwithe was the first step to them changing.  And although it seemed odd, Arelle couldn't help but feel gleeful at the fact that Moren would finally enter her city.  She never told him for fear he would be angry or upset, but it had always been a burden on her when he said he would never enter Felwithe.  She wanted him to see her homeland.

                Arelle looked up at the blue, lightly clouded sky.  One more week before the Festival.  It would take at least two day's travel to reach Felwithe, which meant they would be starting out pretty soon.  Arelle brushed her hair out of her face as a soft, warm breeze swept over her.

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                Renka sat, huddled in the corner of her tent, her cheeks still damp from crying.  She knew she shouldn't cry.  She had been like this lately.  When Raaj was taken away by the guards, she had cried, whined, and said "I can't stand without you."  And now, here she was sobbing in the corner just because of her stupid feeling of love.  Of wanting to be beside Commander Raaj always.  This is how it had always been anyway, wasn't it?  Nothing had changed between her and Raaj.  She knew this was how it was long ago.  Raaj protected her like a little sister, but he had never showed any signs of loving her like she really loved him.

                Renka sighed as she leaned backwards, resting on her back.  She looked at the roof of her tent blankly.  How long had it been since she had joined the White Wolfs?  Surely it was over five years, now.  Long ago, the White Wolfs banded together with another bandit clan, a clan called the Black Dragons, to make a raid on a High Elf town on the outskirts of Felwithe.  That whole night seemed like a dream to her, foggy and dark.  That night she lost all of her previous memories.

                Renka was 9 that night, or so she presumed, since she had no memory of her past before that point.  The first she remembered was waking up beside a flaming building.  A flaming support pillar lay across her shoulder, burning her flesh.  In surprise and pain, she jerked away, freeing herself from the pillar.  She wiped away some sort of liquid running into her eyes, and felt faint when she realized it was her own blood.  Feeling her head, she realized she had a great gash in it-no doubt where the pillar had first hit her.

                Renka looked around the village, houses and shops set aflame, people running about, screaming.  It was at that moment she realized she didn't know where she was or what she was doing here.  Moreover, she didn't know _who_ she was.

                She looked down and realized that she was clutching the hilt of a bloody sword.  About her lay a few men, blood gushing from their wounds.  Had she done that to them?  They looked like bandits; dirty and scarred with old battle wounds.  Renka felt sweat dripping down her arms, and the smoke filled her lungs.  Whoever she was, she had to get out of this flaming town before she suffocated.  She began walking quickly, still in a confused haze.

                As she reached the outskirts of the town, she saw more bandits--these alive.  Some were cutting down the running townsfolk, some still pillaging the houses, while some seemed to be preparing to leave.  Renka kept walking, her mind too hazy to realize her danger.

                Some of the bandits saw her, but none seemed to bother her in the confusion.  She must not have looked like one of the townsfolk, covered in blood and clutching a large sword, quickly walking out of the town towards the bandits.

                The bandits were loading on small wagons filled with loot now.  One of them saw her and called to her.

                "Hurry and load up!  We have to escape; the Felwithien guards will be here shortly!  Hurry and catch up!" the bandit said.

                Renka looked at him wide eyed.  He was talking to her.  Catch up?  She quickened her pace, and when she was close enough, he grabbed her by the hood and swung her into the wagon.

                "You're a scrawny thing, aren't you, boy?  You must be one of the White Wolfs, for I've never seen you in our clan.  Looks like you got a little carried away with the killing by all the blood covering you! Well, no matter-the White Wolfs made us Black Dragons promise not to kill, but I think _we_ all knew that oath was foolish and would never be kept.  I wouldn't have thought you, one of the White Wolfs, though, would be one to kill the villagers!  But I guess that proves that bandits are the same, no matter what morals the White Wolfs preach!" the bandit laughed, leaning back on the side of the wagon.

                Renka sat in silence, expressionless. It was too much.  What was happening?  What was going on?  Who was she? She shouldn't have got on the wagon-this was a wagon of bandits.  That was a mistake.  But she was too confused.  Her head was spinning, and she clasped it between her hands.

                Renka hid her bloodstained face in her lap.  The loss of blood from her head was making her feel dizzy and uneasy.  Her head throbbed in pain, and tears began welling in her eyes. Renka crumpled onto the bottom of the wagon as she lost consciousness from loss of blood.

                When Renka awoke, she was lying in a tent on a small, woven mat.  She sat upright.  Her head had been loosely bandaged, as well as two other sword wound on her side, though they still seemed to throb in pain.  Her hair was caked with blood and mud, but her face had been wiped off.  Suddenly, she was aware of voices outside her tent.

                "How could this happen? How did a young girl sneak onto one of our wagons?!" one voice exclaimed.

                "She was so covered in blood and mud, and besides, she was carrying a sword!  And who would have thought one of the villagers would try to sneak on one of the wagons, anyway?  What could be her purpose?" another voice said.

                "You don't think she's really one of the White Wolfs, do you?" another voice asked.

                "Why would the White Wolfs have a little girl in their clan?! But anyway, if that really is so, then it doesn't matter, since the White Wolfs are now our enemies.  Who would've thought that breaking our oath not to kill any of the villagers or burn the houses would have made them so furious! They were so upset, they declared us enemies!  They honestly call themselves bandits?  They don't act like any bandits I've ever heard of.  Have we heard from them again since that night?" the bandit asked.

                "No, not yet.  Everything has been completely silent since then."

                "Is that so," he said, slightly troubled.  "Well, as for the girl-whoever she is, we have no use for her except as a hostage.  If she is a villager, then I don't think we could ransom her for much.  If on the off-chance she is a White Wolf, then perhaps we could use her to our advantage.  But we have no idea who she is until she awakes and we are able to question her.  She'll be a prisoner until her wounds heal; then we can decide what to do with her after hearing her story," he said.

                Renka heard the bandit walk to the entrance of her tent and lift the flap up.  Renka closed her eyes and breathed evenly, pretending to be asleep.  Seeing her sleeping soundly, he let the flap of the tent fall back and sighed as he walked away, the other bandits following.

                Renka waited a few moments till all was peaceful before sitting upright.  She winced in pain, and held her throbbing head.  Who was she?  Who was she?  She tried to concentrate, but nothing came to her.  She was alone in a bandit camp.  She had no memory of her past, or of any family she might have.  She didn't even know her name.

                Renka glanced around the tent for any weapons.  There was nothing but a few pelts and some bandages.  Suddenly, her eyes spotted a stick, slightly protruding from beneath the edge of the tent.  She stood up quietly and grabbed the stick.  She stood at the entrance of the tent and slowly raised the flap, glancing about, looking for bandits around.  She didn't see any.  Quietly but hastily, she jumped out of the tent and began running.  She looked for the nearest way out of the camp, but there were many, many tents.  But strangely enough, the bandit camp seemed oddly empty.  Where were they all?

                Renka pushed it from her mind--she didn't care, as long as she could escape.  She saw what looked like a clearing and ran towards it full speed, but as she jumped into the clearing, hoping to escape, instead she saw what looked like the entire clan of Black Dragons, along with another clan, which she assumed was the White Wolfs.  They all seemed to be scowling at each other, but when Renka jumped into the middle of them so unexpectedly, all attention was drawn to her as stared at her wide-eyed.  Likewise, Renka stared back at what seemed to be a multitude of bandits, all staring at her.  She gasped in shock and slowly stepped back, but her legs were wobbly from their wounds and her shock, and she tripped and fell on her back.  She hurried to her feet and turned, trying to escape, but one of the Black Dragons caught her by the arm, jerking her backwards and causing her to trip and fall.

                "So the girl is awake--how surprising!  We didn't expect you to gain consciousness for at least another day!" he said, grabbing her by the hair and pulling her up.  He turned to the White Wolfs.  "I don't suppose you know this girl or have any relation to her, do you?  She managed to get inside our camp, which I'm sure she'll be regretting very shortly, unless we can ransom her," the bandit said, pulling out a dagger and placing it at her throat as she frantically kicked and elbowed him, trying to get away.

                One of the White Wolfs stepped forward.  "Let the girl go," he said simply.

                The Black Dragon looked at him, eyebrow raised.  "Rakruto, commander of the White Wolfs, speaks!  So you do know her, eh?  Well, I'll tell you what--you can have her--if you can defeat us!" the Black Dragon said, sending a dagger flying towards Rakruto.  Rakruto stepped to the side to avoid it.  With the raise of his arm, the battle between the two bandit clans began.

                Renka watched wide-eyed as the battle raged between the two clans.  The Black Dragons looked like savage beasts, thrashing about wildly, trying to hit their foes.  But the White Wolfs looked completely different--they looked somehow dignified--almost elegant--and they rarely struck killing blows, no doubt intentionally.  Renka ran into the bushes on the sidelines as soon as she was free and watched the battle.  The battle was over surprisingly quickly, and the winners had been evident since the beginning--the White Wolfs stood strong and tall.  They scurried about the battlefield, checking for injured comrades.  Rakruto wiped the sweat from his brow, leaning on his sword, and a young boy came up behind him.  The boy looked just a bit older than Renka herself, yet he looked like he had fought in the battle, and his sword was covered in blood.

                Rakruto and the boy looked towards Renka, and she leapt backwards frightened.  They stood there, watching her, uninterested in chasing her into the forest.  Rakruto and the boy looked at each other, and Rakruto nodded to him.  The boy looked at Renka and smiled in a friendly manner.

                "Greetings, I am Raaj of the White Wolfs--my father is commander.  You have nothing to fear now, for the White Wolfs are honorable.  Well, as honorable as bandits get, anyway.  But we certainly don't take young girls as hostages for ransom or anything of the sort.  I don't know how you managed to get in those bandits' camp, or why on earth you might want to, but you're free now, so you may do whatever you wish," Raaj said.

                Renka stared at him, ready to leap back into the forest at any moment if he looked like he was going to chase her.

                "Say, you look High-Elf...am I right?" Raaj asked, taking a step towards her to get a better look.  Renka jumped back a foot, too, and made no reply.  "Could it be that you were taken from the village we raided?!  How could those Black Dragons be so low, to take a young girl from her village like that!  Though it's nothing compared to what they did to the village itself," Raaj said, clenching his fists in anger.

                Renka made no reply.

                Raaj paused, looking at her.  "You certainly don't act like the typical proud, arrogant High-Elf, but I suppose you must be scared--which I don't blame you for, actually," Raaj said.

                "Am I....am I really High Elf?" Renka asked.

                Raaj looked at her curiously, an eyebrow raised.  "What do you mean?  You mean you don't know what race you are?"

                Renka paused.  "I...I don't know...I don't anything...." she muttered quietly, rubbing her head where she had been hit.  It still throbbed terribly.  She realized as she raked her hand through her hair how much blood had dried in her hair--no doubt from her head wound.

                "Your head is badly injured, isn't it?" Raaj asked, taking a step closer, curious.  "The whole left side of your head is covered in dried blood!  You must've been hit really hard!  What happened to it?  Those Black Dragons didn't do this, did they?" Raaj asked.

                Renka's held her head tightly.  "I...I don't know...I don't know how I got it...I don't know anything!" she said painfully.

                "What do you mean, you don't know anything?  Is something wrong?  Did you hit your head a little too hard, maybe?" Raaj asked, curious.

                "I...I don't know!  I don't remember...anything!  I remember waking up, and then, the bandits....and they wanted to ransom me, but they were going to kill me....they wanted to ransom me, but I don't even know who I am!  I don't know who I am!" she sobbed the last out, covering her face with her hands, the tears running across the dried blood covering her arms, dripping to the ground around her.  All the pain and fear she had been feeling since she hit her head began to release right there, and before she knew what was happening, Raaj was at her side, his arm around her comfortingly.  And surprisingly, she didn't jump away.  Instead, she cried into his shoulder, and he patted her back comfortingly.

That happened so long ago, it seemed now.  Rakruto and Raaj had offered to let her stay with the White Wolfs until she remembered her past, but she never remembered, and ended up becoming a White Wolf herself.  Everything had been generally peaceful since then, until that bounty hunter captured the commander, Rakruto, and things went downhill for a while.  Rakruto's right-hand man took control of the clan, but he proved to be a bad leader, and tried to make the White Wolf clan turn from their ideals in order for him to get more wealth.  But Raaj, being the son of the previous commander, and well-loved far more than the current leader, was able to gain control of the clan, and banished the old leader.  Things had gone well then, until again, the same bounty hunter came and captured and turned in Raaj.  Now things were just as thrown off as they were last time the commander Rakruto was taken, but hopefully they wouldn't be led astray by a poor leader this time.

                Renka sighed.  This time it was time for _her_ to take control of the group.  She would lead it to the best of her abilities, for Raaj and Rakruto's sake.  They had already done so much for her.

                Renka got up, her tears finally dry, and her eyes not so red anymore.  Just as she began to stretch her arms, someone threw back the flap of her tent.

                "Renka!  There's trouble at the north corner of the camp!  Big trouble!  Come quick!" he exclaimed.

                Renka grabbed her sword and strapped it to her belt as she ran out of her tent.


	21. Chapter 21: A Plan

Author's Notes: Hey hey! So sorry the chapter is a whole day late! I got a new pc for Xmas, but it doesn't have all my programs installed in it yet, and I couldn't find the install disk for my website editing progrm, Dreamweaver, so I couldn't edit the chapter . Because it's I'm already so late, and I STILL can't find my install disk, I decided to update it without editing and formatting it. I'll replace it with a better copy once I find my program!

Oh, and Pluton, thank you for your email! I'd reply to you, but I lost all my stored email *bangs head on desk*. But, in case Tess hasn't told you yet, this is the chapter where Pluton makes his reappearance! Wee! He'll have a much bigger role after this ^.^

I have so much art to catch up, with both Xmas and the NumaRei no Con convention coming up! I wish I could have another vacation out to California and Las Vegas . Ah well.

Enjoy the chapter! Oh, and I hope PizzaPizza likes the extra action added to the chapter ^.^ If he's still reading this, that is…^.^;;

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Renka, Myrall, and the White Wolfs at her sides, stared across the clearing in shock at the thuggish looking bandit clan that stood before them. Their clothes were stained with dirt and blood, looking as if they'd never been washed, and their expressions were cruel and hateful, looking for a fight.

"Who are you, and what do you want? This is the band of the White Wolfs—if you have no business here, then leave quickly," she said, staring harshly at the dirty bandits.

The bandits were silent a moment, just grinning. Then, a figure stepped out into view. He was a Barbarian, and had black, shoulder-length hair and a large scar running across his face, right across his left eye. 

"Hello, dear Renka and friends—miss me?" the man said, grinning.

Renka held back a gasp. "Gimahith of the Black Serpent!"

"Glad you remember me—you seemed so young at the time, but you've certainly grown up, haven't you?" he said. "And Myrall at your side, as usual? I would have thought your target was Raaj—oh, but then again, he's gone now, isn't he? I guess you won't be waiting for him for ten years, will you?"

Renka flinched. "You're here because Commander Raaj is gone now? What are you planning, Gimahith?" Renka hissed.

"_Commander_ Raaj? That boy is no longer the commander, dear. And I know from my sources that White Wolf now has _no_ commander. What a fine opportunity for me to come and help support my old clan. I might even become your new commander if you really begged," Gimahith chuckled.

Renka opened her mouth to respond when she heard Myrall draw his sword and step forward.

"Wait!" Renka called, holding Myrall back with her hand.

Myrall looked at her, his eyes saying he wanted to fight.

"No! We will settle this without blood-shed if we can!" she said, stepping in front of Myrall.

"Gimahith, go home! You were exiled from the White Wolf clan. You had your chance at being leader when Commander Rakruto was turned in and gave you power. But you proved to be a greedy and unreasonable commander, so Commander Raaj overthrew you. That was your one and only chance," she said sternly. She pulled the blade from her side. "But I'm sure you knew when you came here that the White Wolf would not give into you so easily. I see you have your own little clan now, which you no doubt plan to beat us with, but let me warn you that now, and even when you were still here—the Clan of the White Wolf is not to be underestimated," Renka said.

Gimahith stopped, his smile slightly faded for a moment before returning slyly.

"Well, I see you've certainly become bolder, little Renka. But I think you think too highly of your band of White Wolfs—I think, you will find, that you are not, in fact, invincible. And don't forget that your precious commander isn't here to help, for he certainly would come in useful in times like these, eh?" Gimahith smiled before swiftly drawing his sword.

At Gimahith's words, his men and the White Wolfs drew their swords and began attacking each other, Myrall leading the White Wolfs against Gimahith's bandits, with Renka close behind.

Renka, seeing Gimahith cutting down her fellow White Wolfs, ran towards him. When Gimahith fought Raaj for power over the White Wolfs long ago, Renka had many a time wished to fight Gimahith, but she had been too afraid. Now she had the chance and the courage to fight the man who had cause her and the White Wolfs so much pain.

Gimahith dodged Renka's attack, side-stepping quickly, but Renka was fast—she swung her sword at him again, barely missing his torso as he moved to the side. She glared at him, and he smiled at her cockily, as if he had barely been trying. She dropped her sword and pulled her two special kamas from her sides. He cocked an eyebrow at her odd choice of weapons, but he had no time to mock her before she slashed at his stomach with one. He jumped back again, this time the kama skimming his stomach, slicing just barely through his chain mail armor, nicking his stomach enough for blood to start dripping to the ground. He glared at her, his confidence obviously declining, and gripped his sword tightly as he swung at her.

Renka jumped backwards, the grass flying from where her foot uprooted it. She jumped at Gimahith, her kamas swinging, but he blocked them with his sword. Renka leaned forward, bracing her kamas against his sword, trying to push him back, but he was strong and held firm.

"You will never lead the White Wolfs, Gimahith of the Black Serpent…I will make sure of that, in place of Raaj," she said determinedly.

Gimahith stared at her, annoyance in his face. "If I cannot lead the White Wolfs, little Renka…I will destroy them!" he exclaimed, suddenly pulling a dagger from his sleeve, and, before Renka could react, jabbing it into her side.

Renka jumped back in surprise, her kamas dropping from her hands. Blood ran down her left side as she backed away from Gimahith, her arm clutching her side in pain. Gimahith followed her, his sword drawn.

"You were just too cocky, Renka of the White Wolfs. You had so much faith in the White Wolfs, but you seemed to forget about your own skill. The day I fought Raaj, I nearly killed him. Though, as you know, he slashed my face," Gimahith said, tracing his fingers down his scarred face, "and then, of course, won the battle and banished me and so forth. But he came close to dying, himself, in that battle, and I know he has scars to prove it.

"You, dear Renka, have never matched up to Raaj's skill, and yet you were so eager to fight me, you came running at me, not thinking of how our skills compared. But now—now I think you're probably reconsidering that decision. Though at this point, I'm afraid your fate's already sealed. See you in the afterlife, Renka of the White Wolfs!" Gimahith said, swinging his mighty sword down at Renka.

Renka flinched, but her eyes widened when she heard the sound of swords hitting each other. She looked up to see Myrall standing in front of her, blocking Gimahith's blow with his sword.

"Myrall!" she exclaimed.

"Renka, you idiot! Are you trying to get yourself killed, fighting this guy?"

Renka frowned and opened her mouth to speak, but Gimahith suddenly kicked Myrall in the stomach. Myrall, surprised, jumped backwards, but lost his footing trying to avoid the fallen Renka, and fell onto the ground. Gimahith swung at him, but he rolled quickly out of the way. Gimahith swung again, but before he could hit Myrall, Renka slashed him deeply in the side.

Gimahith stared at her wide-eyed as he backed away, blood flowing freely from his open wound. Myrall stood up and helped Renka to her feet, both of them watching Gimahith as he fell to his knees, his face distorted in pain.

Renka glanced about the field—all around, the White Wolfs were gaining on Gimahith's men, and it looked like the outcome was already pretty apparent. Gimahith himself was now crumbled on the ground, blood pouring from his wound.

"I told you not to…underestimate the White Wolfs…Gimahith of the Black Serpent…" Renka said, clutching her wound.

"And I told you…not to be so cocky…" Gimahith said. Before he had even finished his sentence, he sent a dagger flying at the wounded and unsuspecting Renka. Renka fell backwards when she saw it coming towards her, but it never hit her. When she opened her eyes, Myrall lay in front of her, the dagger sticking through his shoulder.

"Myrall!" Renka gasped, turning him over and examining the wound. "Myrall! Oh no, not like this! The battle can't end like this! You can't die, Myrall!" Renka exclaimed, panicked. She grabbed the dagger that was sticking through his shoulder and jerked it out, a gush of blood coming with it, drenching his tunic. He grunted in pain and grabbed Renka's hand tightly. Renka held his hand firmly, not minding how tightly he gripped her hand, or how much she wanted to jerk it away to relieve her pain.

Suddenly, she was aware of one of Gimahith's bandits behind her, about to swing at her while she was unsuspecting. Renka searched for a weapon, but there was none close enough to reach in time as he hurled his sword at her. Suddenly the bandit seemed to glow with green flames, screeching in pain, before falling to the group, unconscious. Renka looked around wide-eyed and saw the rest of the remaining of Gimahith's bandits falling to the ground, the green fire encircling them.

Standing up, she saw a gnome standing at the edge of the field, his hands glowing green, sparkling lights flashing around him, encircling his body.

Renka paused, wide-eyed. "…Pluton?!" she exclaimed.

Pluton smiled at her, though his voice was slightly pained. "I see I'm a bit late, hmm?" he said.

She blinked, "what are you doing here?"

"I was passing through when I heard what sounded like a battle. Interested, I decided to come see what it was about, and when I saw you about to be run through by that filthy looking bandit, I decided to lend my powers to your side," he said.

"Oh yes…you're a wizard! Oh, if only we had had your powers at the beginning of this battle," she said grimly, looking down at Myrall, who was on the verge of unconsciousness. "Well, for the help you have given us, I am very grateful. I don't really have anything to reward you with except for pelts right now—is that alright?" Renka asked.

Pluton smiled, "I need no reward, though I thank you for your generous offer."

Renka smiled, "Well then, since night is already upon us, would you like to stay in our camp tonight? I guarantee it's more safe then sleeping defenseless in this dangerous forest, no matter _how_ powerful you are," she asked.

Pluton paused. "Well, since it is already night, I suppose I will accept your generous offer," he said, smiling.

Renka sat beside Myrall's mat, watching his unconscious body, her brows furrowed. She heard someone at the entrance of the tent and looked up to see Pluton walk into the tent.

"Pluton?" Renka said.

Pluton smiled, "how's your hot-headed friend doing?"

"Hmm, he's getting better now that he's bandaged up. At least there's no fear of him dying. I was really afraid he would die at that time…seeing so much blood pouring from his wound…Myrall's such an idiot, jumping in front of that dagger like that," Renka said, a pained look on her face.

Pluton cocked an eyebrow at her. "It may have been foolish, but he did it to save your life," he said.

"Yeah…I know," she said solemnly. After a pause, she shook her head as if to clear her thoughts, and looked at Pluton, smiling weakly. "So, what business brings you this direction, Wizard?" she asked.

"Nothing in particular, this time. I am but wandering about, lending my powers to others in need occasionally," Pluton said.

"…Others in need? Do we qualify?" Renka asked, hopefully.

Pluton chuckled. "It depends on what you want me to do! I'm sorry, but I don't plan to join any clan of bandits, no matter how in need they are of a powerful wizard," Pluton smiled.

Renka sighed. "Well, we never needed help when Commander Raaj was here. When he was here, everything was going fine. Like today, when others of the White Wolfs' enemies hear we are without a leader, slowly, many more will come about to attack us and try to claim our clan. It's inevitable. And without a strong leader, we may not be able to defeat them all. How horrible it would be if, when Commander Raaj was let out of prison, he returned to find the White Wolfs taken over by some other clan," Renka said, sighing painfully.

Pluton watched her, "then all you need is for you to get your commander back, and you'll be satisfied?" he asked.

Renka looked up at him curiously. "Yes…if Raaj came back, that would solve all our problems. I would be happy again," Renka said. "But there's no way to get him back. He's in jail, serving his sentence."

"Just because he's in jail, doesn't mean you can't get him back," Pluton said.

"What are you implying?" Renka asked.

"You don't think like a bandit much, do you, Renka of the White Wolfs?" Pluton asked, smiling.

Renka paused. "You mean, break him out?" she asked curiously. She shook her head. "It's impossible. The entrance of the jail is heavily protected, and there's no other way in. Even if you did get in, the jail cells themselves are protected with magic," Renka said.

"You're right—getting your commander out wouldn't be easy. That's why we'd need a plan first," Pluton smiled.

***************************

Blue the Echidna: Waah! Finally, I've been wondering what happened to ya. The last time you wrote was like in september I think. Anyway I'm glad you're back and writing again. =)

Amai's Reply: Yaaay! I'm so glad you noticed I was still alive ^.^ I hope I can get back on track now! And I know, it's been forever since I updated like a good little girl *sob* Thanks for sticking with Arelle!


	22. Chapter 22: Child of the Moon

Author's Notes: Ok, it's official--I'm an evil procrastinator. I have many reasons and excuses for not having updated this fic for a month, which iclude WRITER'S BLOCK, but I'll spare you this time. Le't just say, I find it a lot harder to get started writing, and a lot hard to keep going, then when I was updating weekly. However, I forced myself to get this out today, because, well, it's a new year. A fresh start. So if I start out right, then maybe I can keep doing well for a while, ne? And let's just IGNORE the fact that this is not, in fact, the first Thursday of the new year, and pretend like I'm actually starting the year off right, Arelle-wise.

Ok, enough ranting ^.^ I hope everyone's have a great new year! ^.^ Enjoy the chapter~! 

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Arelle ran down the dirt path, her feet light beneath her, a smile creeping onto her lips. As she reached the top of a hill, she suddenly stopped in her tracks, staring at what lay ahead of her. She turned to Moren, Akinen, and Lilliah, who had been following a ways behind her. They looked up at her, but their gazes soon focused on what lay beyond her—the gates of Felwithe. 

The white gates of Felwithe were grand indeed. Like the High-Elves, the gates seemed powerful yet lovely, and like the High-Elves, they seemed proud and un-welcoming of strangers. Arelle watched their reactions, hoping for the best. Her smile faded as she watched the companions glance at each other, seemingly disheartened.

"Come now, why does everyone look so worried? Don't tell me you're ready to turn back now that we've gotten this far!" she looked around, hopefully.

The party stood in silence, uncertainty and doubt in the air.

Suddenly, Arelle's face became determined as she grabbed Moren's hand, and with her other hand grabbed Akinen's hand, and pulled them towards Felwithe.

"The gates may be cold, but inside the people will be happy and lively, for this is the Festival, when men and elves come from all over Faydwer, and even Norrath, come to visit Felwithe. If ever there was a time when they accepted other races, it is now. Do not be intimidated by their gates! Let us hurry inside for the celebrations!" Arelle said, beaming, as she pulled them towards the gates.

Whether Moren or Akinen wanted to go in or not, they couldn't have resisted Arelle as she smiled brightly, radiating with happiness, pulling them along with her. Lilliah giggled at how child-like Arelle was now, compared to how mature she had seemed in the forest. She smiled as she followed the three as they made their way to the gate.

Once they reached the gate, the three guards held their swords out warningly. "Who are you, and what is your business?" they asked.

Arelle pushed her hood back so they could see she was High-Elf. "We have come for the Festival. As you can see, I am a High-Elf like you. We mean no harm,"

They looked at the High-Elf girl suspiciously, then looked at her companions, all with hoods hanging over their faces, making them unidentifiable. "Do you have papers?"

"Papers?" Arelle blinked.

"Something to show that you can enter for the Festival?"

Arelle paused, brows furrowed. People had to have something to come into Felwithe for the Festival? She knew Felwithe was wary of strangers, and usually only let those into the city if they had a good reason, but for the Festival, she had thought they would let people in freely. But then again, how would they know they weren't letting bandits or thieves in if they let anyone who came to the gate come in? And Arelle knew her party looked particularly suspicious, all hiding their faces, but a party with a scarred Rogueish High-Elf, a half High-Elf/Wood-Elf, and a Barbarian Shaman wouldn't look much better.

What should she do? A sign to let her enter Felwithe? How could she give them something like that? When she had left Felwithe, she had only taken with her things like food, tools, and some clothing—certainly nothing that would convince them to let her in.

Arelle paused, thinking. Suddenly, she reached up and unclasped the metallic looking barrette holding her hair in a ponytail, letting her golden hair fall in tumbles down to nearly her ankles. Everyone looked at her in surprise—she looked so much different than when she had her hair up, and none of the party but Moren had seen her hair down before.

But while the others gazed at her, Arelle stepped towards the guards, who watched her, somewhat befuddled by her actions. She held the cylinder-shaped barrette in her hand and unclasped its lock so it divided into two half-cylinders, held together by a strip of metal. Arelle traced her fingers across the inside of the barrette, and exclaimed suddenly, "Illuminate!" To the surprise of the guards, as well as the her party, the cylinder lit up, and where Arelle had traced her finger, words illuminated in bright silver, shedding beams of silver light over the ground and faces of the on-lookers in patches. The words read, in elfish, "Child of the Moon".

The guards looked at the barrette in wonder. "Child of the Moon? Surely it doesn't mean…" They looked at Arelle in surprise and curiosity.

"This was given to me by a descendant of Asheetino," Arelle said.

They looked at her wide-eyed. "The Moon Wizard, Asheetino?" they asked in surprise. "His descendants live on?"

"Of course!" Arelle replied hotly. "You think the great Moon Wizard's line would die out so easily?"

"It's just that they seem to have vanished…or perhaps it's just because no one's heard news of them since…"

"Well, now you know! Just because they don't go around proclaiming through the streets that they're the descendants of the Moon Wizard doesn't mean they don't exist anymore!" she said.

The soldiers were taken aback slightly at Arelle's sudden temper. "Well, if you really do have permission from a descendant of the Moon Wizard, then you and your companions may pass," the guards said.

Arelle watched, arms folded, as they opened the gate for her, then pulled her hair back into a ponytail with her barrette. She turned briefly to the rest of the party. "Come on, let's go," she said, motioning for them to follow as she entered the gates.

They followed her through the gates, but when they were out of the guards' hearing range, she began speaking.

"Asheetino, the Moon Wizard, was my grandfather. To make the story short, he was a well-known Wizard who worked for the king of the High-Elves," Arelle said, answering their inquisitive looks.

"Your grandfather, eh? Then, it must be on your mother's side, for I know my father was no Wizard, that's for sure," Akinen said.

Arelle nodded. "Yes, Father married the single heir of Asheetino's line—my mother, Relliah."

"Little Aekash did? Who would've thought? I wonder how he pulled that off," Akinen laughed.

"Well, it wasn't easy, actually. Even though my father was a great caster, he could never, of course, match up to Asheetino, and Asheetino was determined to not give his daughter to anyone 'unworthy'. But they were determined to marry, and eventually worked things out," Arelle said. Suddenly, she stopped in her tracks and looked in front of her. She smiled widely, taking Moren's hand with one hand, and pointing forward with the other.

"This is the city of High-Elves, the grand Felwithe. This is my homeland," Arelle said happily, casting her eyes over the city before them.

The party paused, staring at the bustling crowds, marble stones, and ivy-covered buildings.

Arelle felt Moren drawing close to her side and looked up at him to see if something was wrong.

"There's….so many people…" Moren said. Arelle couldn't help but think he sounded like an afraid child.

Arelle took his hand and smiled up at him. "They may look intimidating in a crowd, but High-Elves are just like everyone else, just a bit more stuck-up," she laughed.

Moren smiled at her, his mood brightened by her laughter.

Arelle couldn't help but blush thinking how the High-Elves she spent her childhood with would have been ever so horrified at what she just said. Even _she_ was a bit shocked at how he changed since she ran away. Who would've imagined, a proud High-Elf of noble birth, cracking jokes about High-Elves being stuck up?

"Is something wrong, Arelle?" Moren asked. 

Arelle snapped out of her thoughts, looking up at him. "Erm, sorry, I was just thinking," she said, smiling. She turned to the Akinen and Lilliah. "We should get to an Inn—it's almost night, and tomorrow morning, the Festival will begin! I wonder if all the Inns will be full from the visitors? Well, no matter, I shall be able to find one with rooms. This is my city, after all," she said, turning and walking briskly down the marble road as the others watched her, smiling.

Renka hummed quietly, tapping her foot to the rhythm absent-mindedly. She gazed upward at the top of the tent, her mind drifting. Suddenly she stopped as the unconscious Myrall, lying beside her on a mat, groaned. She turned to him in surprise and watched him slowly open his eyes.

"…Renka?" he asked, in a daze.

"Myrall!" she exclaimed excitedly, suddenly hugging him in her joy. 

Myrall blushed and looked at her in surprised confusion.

Renka whacked him the head suddenly, "That's for making me worry so much, idiot!"

Myrall blinked, recalling what had happened before he fell unconscious, and suddenly exclaimed, "Me?! I'm not the one who just stood there in surprise as a dagger comes speeding towards me! Maybe you should consider how worried about you I was! You could've died, stupid girl!" he exclaimed.

She blinked. "And how was you jumping in front of me and taking the blow improving the situation?! If I'd been hit and died, it'd be better then you taking it for me and dying! I'd regret it for the rest of my life, bearing something like that!" Renka exclaimed.

"You idiot! I'd rather die protecting you than watch you die before my eyes! Besides, something like that was just a reflex, seeing how I always have to protect you from things like that! It's become habit!"

"Since when have you had to protect me?! I don't remember—"

"I'm always watching out for you! You just never noticed! I've always—" Myrall exclaimed, but cut himself off.

Renka opened her mouth to reply, but stopped short when she saw Myrall blushing. 

At Myrall's blush, Renka burst out laughing. "Look at your face! You're turning red!" she laughed.

Myrall said nothing but stared at the roof of the tent, his face angry, yet still blushing.

Renka sighed, stretching, her face smiling. "Whew, that felt good! I was starting to get tense, not having anyone to yell at while you were unconscious. After all, you're the only one who can match me at yelling," she sighed happily.

Myrall glanced at her, annoyed. "I'm glad I'm useful for something."

Renka stared at him. "Ah, don't tell me you're mad at me laughing at you? Come on, I know you're just red because you have a fever. You got it last night, and your face's been red all day," she said. "Besides, it's not like I would think you were actually blushing. I mean, is it even possible for an idiot like you to do something like blush?" Renka said, giggling.

Myrall stared at her, un-amused. "You're so dense, Renka," he said quietly.

Renka stared at him. "What? Don't mumble, it's not like you—if you have something to say, you should yell it, like you usually do," she said, smirking.

"Would you just be quiet?!" he exclaimed, his face genuinely angry. "You know how annoying it is listening to you babble on?! Why, in the name of Tunare, do you have to be so DENSE?! I might not be the perfect commander, but if someone like you were to take Raaj's place, the White Wolfs would surely be massacred! You're always so easy-going, but do you ever actually _think_ before you speak? Why don't you try not to be so oblivious to everything around you!" Myrall exclaimed in fury.

Renka paused, looking at him, brows furrowed. He really looked genuinely upset. "Ah…is that so…" she said, avoiding his gaze, her face downcast.

Myrall ran his hand through his hair in frustration. As soon as the words left his mouth, he regretted it. Why did he always do this? Why did he always get so worked up? Had he hurt Renka again, he bit his lip, trying not to look at her.

Renka stood up silently. Myrall watched as she walked to the entrance of the tent and turned around. "Well, even though I don't really understand all that you said, I realize you were right about me being a bad commander. You're right. But you don't have to worry about that. It's already decided—we're breaking Raaj out."

Myrall's eyes widened.

"So don't worry about the commander issue. Right now, you should rest. I'll send someone to get you food, since you must be hungry now," Renka said solemnly. She flashed him a smile, but it seemed painfully forced. "I'll see you later," she said, leaving the tent.

Myrall listened to her footsteps as she walked further away from his tent. He let his hands hold his face, as he rocked back and forth in frustration.

"I'm such an idiot! Why doesn't anything come out right when I'm with her?! She's the one person who can so easily get me to blow up like that. If only she wasn't so dense!" he exclaimed.

He let himself fall backwards onto his back, sighing. "Break Commander Raaj out? I wonder what they're thinking, with that jail so heavily guarded. But if we really can break him out…then will things be the same as before he was turned in? No…too many things have happened since he left. With what I said to Renka, she now realizes she loves him. Will she confess to him?" Myrall wondered out loud, brows furrowed.

"What am I worried about? Even if she does confess, it's not like he feels the same—he thinks of her as a little sister!" Myrall exclaimed, comforting himself. He turned on his side, fidgeting. Was that really true? He had told her as if it was certain, but if it really was, then why did he feel so uneasy? Was that really how Raaj felt about Renka? How _did _Raaj feel about Renka?

Myrall squinted, feeling his wounded shoulder. Much must have been decided while he was unconscious. If they did intend to break Raaj out, Myrall hoped they had a really good plan. 

*************  


Pizza Pizza: Of course I'm still readin!  
Amai's reply: Yay! I'm so glad ^.^ I was wondering if you were still reading! Sorry this chapter was so sappy and action-less...I'll make up for it, umm...some other chapter ^.^;;

Pluton: Well I'm probably biased but … I liked this chapter!! :)  
Amai's reply: Lol! I'm so glad! I try hard to play your character right, and give him enough spotlight ^.^ I'm always afraid I'm playing someone's character wrong, but I'm glad you're good with how I make him, haha ^.^

Tess: Yeah! you are back writing! Thx for the next chapter!  
Amai's reply: Geh, now I feel guilty, leaving for a month again . But I'm glad I have your support! And your proofreading, hehe ^.^

Lilliah: Ah there is the lil squirt Plutie again:) Keep up the good work hon. I cant wait to see what happens next. *waves to Tess and Plut* ~Lil  
Amai's reply: He just pops in and out of the story, doesn't he? Have you noticed the couples get the most time in this fic? It must be because I'm a sap ^.^;; Anyway.... Don't worry, we'll be having a Lilliah story-line, umm...sometime ^.^ But thanks for sticking with Arelle all the time ^.^

Pizza Pizza: She's gone again! No...  
Amai's reply: It's so nice knowing people care! *sniffles in appreciation* I'm back...at least for now ^.^;; I can't guarantee how long that'll be, though...


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